SCP: Soaring to the Sky
by Coral the Leviathan
Summary: Sequel to SCP: Saving Arabasta. With a new member in their crew, the Straw Hat Pirates continued their journey across the Grand Line. As they continued to sail, a ship suddenly fell on top of them and the Log Pose was pointing to the sky above. How will the Straw Hats survive from their adventure in the sky above?
1. Bonding

**?: I'm back! And with a new nickname!**

 **Aki: And? What is the name we should call you by now?**

 **?: You may now call me Coral the Leviathan! Or just Coral for short.**

 **Happy: Why?**

 **Coral: Because- *Takes out remote and had targets set up* You will definitely be amazed with this~**

 **Lector: They will, yes! *anime tears* Especially after all that that tough training you've went through with Sting-kun to achieve this~!**

 **Frosh: Fro thinks so too!**

 **Coral: And I am forever thankful for that~! Anyway... *Faces targets* _Water Dragon Roar!_ *fires a huge stream of water, obliterating the targets***

 **Happy and Aki: EHHH?!**

 **Happy: You're a Dragon Slayer?!**

 **Coral: Just became one~**

 **Aki: So, you mean to say that all this time, besides having school and writer's block, you were also training?**

 **Coral: Yes! I had to have a lacrima implanted into me too! Which feels weird by the way.**

 **Lector: It's probably because you're a new Second Generation Dragon Slayer, yes.**

 **Frosh: Fro thinks so too.**

 **Coral: In any case, EVERYBODY~! Sorry for the long wait! And now, it is time for the thing you guys were waiting for! The third part of the SCP (Second Chance as a Pirate) series~! Oh, and in case if anyone is wondering from the title and summary, I am quite aware that I said this part would be the Jaya Arc, but this part is actually the Rainbow Mist Arc. I was a bit conflicted as to whether I should do this arc or Jaya but then I realized I already did some filler arcs and episodes so, why not? Let's do the Rainbow Mist Arc as the third part.**

 **Aki: So in other words, you abandoned Jaya Arc idea because you have no idea how to do it.**

 **Coral: *exaggerated gasp* I am hurt that you would think that! *Quick recovery and faces the exceeds* So, would you three exceeds do the disclaimer?**

 **Exceeds: Aye/Yes/Fro thinks so too! Coral the Leviathan doesn't own One Piece or Kingdom Hearts!**

 **Lector: Do we also add the part with your Beta Reader?**

 **Coral: He has nothing to do with this arc actually. But this idea was from a fellow reader who did really good Kingdom Hearts and Sword Art Online Crossover. I'm sure the person in question knows who he is. Oh! And before I forget, I now have a job for the summer and being a senior that I will be, updates will be slower than usual. Well, in any case, on with the show!**

* * *

 _Things just get crazier and crazier in the Grand Line, especially for a certain group of pirates. First they saw a gigantic whale, then they became marked for death by a Shichibukai, next they got on an island filled with prehistoric dinosaurs and met some giants, saw a sakura tree in winter, fight against a Shichibukai and his organization, and now they took in a former enemy as an ally. Ms. All-Sunday, AKA Nico Robin, somehow snuk onto the Straw Hats' ship without any of them knowing. As if it wasn't bad enough, the captain, Straw Hat Luffy, was okay with her staying on board with them. Of course, one of the rest of the crew was 100% okay with it while everyone else was wary of the new recruit. Alas, one by one, they all became okay with her being on board with them, except for one or two members._

 _Now how will the Straw Hat Pirates deal with the rest of their adventures? What other surprises awaits them? Let's find out~!_

* * *

 _ ***XION'S P.O.V***_

How long has it been since we've left Arabasta? A week? No, of course not. Just a couple of days since we've left. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for Vivi. If I was in her position, I would also choose to stay at home for the people there. And I may be a bit saddened by Bon Clay's sacrifice, but I'm not depressed. What's sort of getting me down is the new recruit of this crew I'm on.

Nico Robin. Former Baroque Works member. A person from West Blue who had her first bounty as a small child. And a pretty high one at that. After all she had done, I couldn't help but continuously wonder why Luffy would agree in having her on this crew. I'm not the kind of person who holds a grudge, but I still didn't forget what she almost tried to do back on Tanoshi Island as well as what she did while being a part of the organization that almost destroyed Vivi's home. Still, captain's orders... I guess. Though that doesn't mean I will completely accept her as a nakama. Then again, with the process she made with the crew, something tells me that eventually, I will accept her as one. But only time will tell.

"Everyone, wake up! Wake up!" shouted Nami. It was her turn to keep watch outside the ship for Marines or an island. I got up and stretched for a bit. "An island! We're approaching an island!"

I walked out of the girls' bedroom and, as Nami said, we were approaching an island.

' _This makes the fifth island we've been to here in this ocean,_ ' I mentally noted.

An hour or so later, we docked our ship on the beach, seeing that there weren't any docks here. Most of us got off to get a much better observation of the island.

"I wonder if there'll be any monsters! I wanna see some big strong ones!" a certain dreamer hoped. Next to me, a certain sniper was... fixing his nose? And muttering something about being stomped on.

"There's no signs of anything strange. It's just a small little island," Nami confirmed. "Xion, can you get out one of your Dream Eaters?"

"Why?" I asked.

"Just do it."

Shrugging it off, I summoned out Neku. The headphone-wearing Dream Eater was looking around the island and seemed to have a relaxed expression on its face.

"Yep. 100% safe~" Nami cheered.

"You wanted him out just for that!?" the guys and I shouted in unison.

"Look at this, Nami-san!" Sanji called from a tree. "This fruit would be perfect for storing up! And it looks like the island's loaded with them!" He tossed what looks like a pineapple over to our navigator.

"Then we should gather some and stockpile them on the ship," she suggested.

"I'll bet there are a lot more plants around here that I can use. This island is like a cook's paradise!"

"Alright. Then, Sanji-kun, you go look for food supplies. You five do this," Nami said. She turned to us and held out five sticks.

"What?" Chopper-kun questioned.

"Drawing Straws?" Usopp guessed.

"What do you have in mind with those?" I asked.

"The three who draw short straws will spend the day gathering fruit," she began to explain. "The two who draw long straws will stay here and guard the ship."

"And just why are you giving out orders?" Zoro asked, irritated that he has to take orders from our navigator... again.

"That's a good point. Normally the captain gives the orders, but-"

"Oh! They're all short!" We turned and saw Luffy with three short straws in his hand.

"Why the hell did you draw three?!" Usopp demanded.

"The one who takes more is smarter, right?"

"Is there really such a thing as a captain who can actually give orders on this ship?" I asked, seeing Nami's point and feel a vein forming on my head.

"Not at all," the other three boys replied, also seeing her point.

"Hahaha! Am I really that smart?" WHERE THE HELL DID HE HEAR THAT?!

"No you're not!" Zoro, Nami and Usopp punched him away. Meanwhile, Chopper-kun and I drew the remaining straws, even though there isn't a point in doing so.

"Xion-nee and I drew long straws. So do we stay on the ship?" he asked.

"Yep! So, Chopper, you and Xion stay here," Nami confirmed.

"Then what will you be doing Nami?" I asked.

"I'm going to survey the island. I want to draw a map of this place and I can't wait~" Now that she mentioned it, she did say something about drawing maps before we even got to the Grand Line.

A few minutes later, Chopper-kun and I were on our ship while Nami and the rest of the guys were prepared to do their task around the island.

"Be careful! Have a good trip!" my brother-figure waved.

"Take care of the ship you two!" Nami waved back.

As they take their leave, with Sanji doing his noodle dance, Chopper-kun got off the railing he was on and giggled. "So it's just us today."

"Seems like it, little bro," I responded.

"The ship looks bigger without anyone here."

"Sure does." Silence formed between us. It's been too long since we last hung out like this, I completely forgot how to act. Not only that, we're pirates now. "Well, I'll be doing some training. Can't be slacking off right now. What will you be doing, Chopper-kun?"

"Hmm... I don't know. But I'll find something to do."

"Okay. If you need me, give me a nudge," I told him, sitting down.

"A nu-? Wait, what!? NOOOOOOO!" He suddenly just tackled me in his Heavy Point.

"W-What?!" I managed to breathe, for the former little guy was hugging me hard enough to tighten my lungs.

"If you do any of that training, you'll die! Don't do it! Anything but it!" he cried.

' _Oh, that's why he's crushing me!?_ ' I mentally asked. Although I was touched by how much my reindeer friend cares about me, the whole hugging thing is really unnecessary.

"I... understand your concern... but you'll be the one to kill me...!" I managed to get out. As if that was the magic sentence, Chopper-kun released his hold on me.

"Sorry, Xion-nee. But I'm saying this for your own good. If you do that training... and something went wrong..." Chopper-kun was holding back the urge to cry.

Being the big sister I am to him, I comforted him. "Chopper-kun. I understand your concern, but you don't have to be that worried about me. You know how strong I am. And besides, if anything does happen to my body, I know that if anyone can fix it, it's you. After all, you're the best doctor I know. And at a yound age too."

"D-... D-... Dumbass! Saying those things aren't going to make me happy~! You bastard~!" And here's Chopper-kun's happy dance in his Brain Point.

"In any case, I better get training. And I will make sure my... mentor will go easy with it so you don't have to freak out all the time."

"Yes! You should!" With that I got into a sitting position and went in to my Dive to the Hearts.

* * *

 _ ***DIVE TO THE HEARTS***_

' _ **I see someone wants to improve more on their talent,**_ ' came Voice's... well, voice.

"Who doesn't?" I rhetorically asked.

' _ **Well, shall we begin?**_ '

"Can we work on that... that form that King Cobra gave me?"

' ** _Certainly._** ' He summoned out some Pureblood Heartless. ' _ **Get into your Wisdon Form**._ '

I nodded and went into the form I obtained from King Cobra.

' _ **Use only magic to defeat these Purebloods.**_ '

"Got it." With my answer, I glided over to the group and fired my magic at point-blank. Risky, yes. Suicidal- like hell I'm trying to kill myself!

It wasn't until I took down half of them that I heard a familiar scream. One that instantly placed my bad habit to max. That said, I forcefully got myself out of my dive.

* * *

 _ ***REALITY WORLD***_

As soon as I'm back in my body, I ran to the source of the scream.

"CHOPPER-KUN!" I screamed, as I slammed the door to his office open. What I saw was one that I did not expect to see. As well as one that I had quickly forgotten.

"Ah. So you also stayed behind, Demon-san," the newest recruit of the group observed.

"How could you tell?" I sarcastically asked, watching her use her Devil Fruit powers to tickle my little brother figure.

' _How did I mistake a laugh for a scream?_ ' I wondered.

"But my, isn't he a cutie? I like him," Robin stated, calling off her arms.

"... C-Cute?" Chopper-kun repeated after a moment of silence, blushing. Of course, with a compliment like that, he then goes to his I'm-not-happy-even-though-my body-says-I-am dance.

"Well, since there isn't a problem here, I should get back to training," I said. I turned around, attempted to walk back to the back of the ship, when I felt something grab hold of my leg and made me trip. Of course, since it felt like a HUMAN hand, it could only be one person who would do that.

"May I ask what it is you want, Nico Robin?" I asked, resting my head on hand, trying to hold back the urge to kill her.

"If I recall, you're the First Mate and this reindeer's older sister, right?" she asked back.

' _Whoever told her that will wish they were never born,_ ' I mentally threatened, already taking guesses on who told her.

"And if I am?" The next thing you know, a barrel was thrown and hit my head.

"Let's go get some water." And there goes my patience.

"WHO THE HELL MADE YOU THE CAPTAIN?!" I demanded.

"No one. I'm only saying that since you're First Mate, you should do something responsible for your crew and your ship. And, since it was your brother who broke a barrel filled with water, it should be your responsibility to get more, shouldn't it?"

"That is-!" I paused, thinking over what she said. Truthfully... "... I hate you..."

"The feeling's mutual," she simply replied with a smile. "I'd like to have a cup of coffee before I continue reading."

I got up with the empty barrel, muttering how I will surely and slowly wipe that smile off her face. Cruel, yes. Evil... Too strong a word for someone in my situation, wouldn't you agree?

"Xion-nee! I'll come with you!" Chopper-kun offered.

"Sure thing, Chopper-kun."

* * *

Although it was said that Chopper-kun and I would go and get some water, Robin, for whatever reason, joined us.

"Xion-nee. Why is she with us?" my reindeer brother whispered to me.

"Don't know. Though we didn't say anything about her not coming with us," I responded.

"What a pleasant atmosphere~" Robin suddenly commented. The sound of her, although calming, voice scared Chopper-kun to the point where he suddenly jumped up and grabbed hold of my face, to the point where I have trouble breathing. That and, since I was carrying a barrel on my back and we were walking uphill, I lost my balance and rolled down a few feet. Literally.

"AHHHHH! Xion-nee! Are you okay?!" Chopper-kun asked, releasing his hold.

"Yes, thank you for asking," I replied, getting back on my feet.

"Why did you freak out, Doctor-san?" Robin asked. "All I meant was that the weather is nice."

"N-N-No reason!"

"Why did you come with us anyway?" I dared to ask, walking back up the hill.

"I just felt like going for a walk. It's been too long since I last felt like this. I've felt so cooped-up every day for so long, I never really felt like laughing." Hearing that suddenly made me feel pity for her. And by pity, I mean my bad habit started to act up a bit.

We both saw a lake up ahead and a flowerfield next to it.

"Water!" Chopper-kun exclaimed in relief. We both went to the lake side and gathered as much water into the barrel as possible.

While we were gathering some water, I noticed how Chopper-kun would take glances at the new crew member. I also took a look and noticed how relax she seemed.

"You said you've been by yourself since you were eight, right?" my brother-figure asked.

"Chopper-kun. You shouldn't ask questions like that," I scolded.

"It's okay," Robin assured. "I've survived by working with various pirates." After a couple seconds of silence, we both continued to put some water in the barrel. "Would you tell me about her, Doctor-san? The person you called Doctorine." We both gasped in shock at how she knew that name. "You were talking about her a little while ago, weren't you?"

"You were?" I asked the reindeer.

"Uh... Yeah..." he answered.

"She's a doctor, right? Is she your teacher?" the archeologist questioned.

"Y-Yeah, she is. Doctorine taught me everything."

"Though everyone else calls her Dr. Kureha," I added.

"Dr. Kureha? What kind of person is she?"

"She loves to drink. And although she's a woman, she looks like a pirate. And although she looks like a pirate, she's a doctor!"

"She's also a 140-year-old woman with a teenager's body, which most people used to questioned on how that is possible in many ways. Not only that's she's also known as a witch doctor, and a really violent one at that."

"You know her, Demon-san?"

"We had to stop there to get Nami cured from a sickness on the way to Arabasta," I answered Robin's question.

* * *

 _ ***IN SAKURA KINGDOM***_

"AH-CHOO!" a certain witch doctor sneezed. "Did I come down with something?" She took a quick temperature to see that she's a normal health. "Someone must be talking about me than. Probably wondering the secret of my youth."

* * *

"I spent six years learning how to be a doctor from Doctorine," Chopper stated. "During half that time, she came down with something from her patient. She became my first patient at that time. I was scared that Doctorine would die, but I somehow managed to cure her! It was also the very first time Doctorine ever complimented me. In fact it was the only compliment I received in those entire six years. Instead of accepting me as a doctor, she trusted me with her life. That's Doctorine! She's that kind of person. I'll never forget. And someday... I'll become a great doctor and make her proud!"

I smiled at his story. Thinking about it now, I never heard a single compliment come out of Kureha's mouth.

"And what about you?" Robin then asked. This time the question was directed to me. "How are those kids? Since I left the island you were on before joining this crew."

"Huh? Oh, you mean Miki and the others. Well, more than a week ago, I found out that she and Chris became Marines," I replied.

"And you're not mad that they became pirates' greatest enemies?"

"Well, I'd be lying if I said I was 100% okay with it, but it's their life. They should do whatever they feel is the best. Even though, I'm actually happy they became Marines."

"Xion-nee?" Chopper-kun began to question.

"After all, there are plenty of more tough and good guys in the Marines than there are pirates. Just as long as those two have each other and someone strong enough to look after them are with them, that's good enough for me. Besides, I've been getting updates every now and then on how things are doing back on the island."

It was silent for a while, before Robin decided to get up and start walking.

"We should head back. It'll be dark soon," she said. "I wish I have someone to write to. Like you both have." Hearing that confused me for a second.

' _She doesn't have any friends or relatives?_ ' I wondered, when I suddenly heard a faint voice. I looked around to see where it came from, only to see no one else with us. ' _Did I imagine that?_ '

"Xion-nee! What are you looking at?!" Chopper-kun called. "We need to hurry back!"

"Got it!" I called back, picking up the now heavy barrel of water on my back.

* * *

It was now night time. We were all by a campfire eating the fruits and meat the guys brought back. Rather, the fruits and meat Zoro brought back.

"And? How were you two not about to get anything?" Nami asked, irritated that Luffy and Usopp returned empty handed.

Luffy replied he didn't know how it happened, which should be obvious. After all, this is Luffy we're talking about. Usopp, on the other hand, made up a lie/story as to why he didn't bring even a single fruit back.

"On the other hand, Zoro did a really good job," the navigator complimented the swordsman.

"Yep," said person agreed.

"You're gonna have to continue on through the night now!" Hearing that made Zoro spit out the meat he was eating.

Sanji, being the lover-boy he is, made a... 'sweet' comment on Nami with her giving orders. Of course, this only irritated Zoro even further, to the point where he insulted the cook, which in turn nearly caused a fight between the two, had Nami not intervened.

"In any case, it's been a while, since we've had a peaceful day like this," I stated.

"What about you two? What did you two do on the ship the whole day?" Luffy asked me and Chopper-kun.

"Us? Nothing in particular..." the blue-nose animal answered. "But it's been a really great day!"

I looked over at Robin and saw that she was ignoring the whole conversation, reading a book. I sighed, as my bad habit seemed to want her to join out group of friends. No, I'm not in denial.

"Hey, Robin. How about you join us?" I called. Everyone else looked up at me with some looks of uncertainty or saying that I'm crazy. After what happened the other day though, they have no right to use that look.

Robin seemed to be pondering on the thought for a while. Eventually, she agreed to come over.

' _Being isolated for so long, I just can't seem to turn my back on her now._ '


	2. Salvaging

**Hi guys! It's been quite a long time since I last updated this story. I really do apologize for the extremely long wait! Now that I'm back, the SCP story will continue~! Oh! And due to reasons, I decided to give up on the filler arc and just go straight to Jaya, as you may have noticed from the change in both the title and the summary! Onwards to Jaya~! On that note...**

 ***camera zooms back to reveal Coral tied up and on the edge of a cliff, Xion pointing her Keyblade at her***

 **Coral: *crying anime tears* Can you let me go now?!**

 **Xion: No way! You deserve death for making us wait this long! And sending all those people after me! And skipping two arcs just because you don't feel like doing them!**

 **Coral: NOOOOOO! SOMEONE SAVE ME!**

* * *

 _ ***XION'S P.O.V***_

It was quite an eventful trip, so to say. A lot of things happened over time since Robin joined us. The sheepful island, the ship graveyard... Yep. A lot of things happened during our time in the Grand Line that should not actually be happening, mostly. For instance, the ship falling from the sky.

...

THE SHIP FALLING FROM THE SKY?!

"Hang on! Hold on to the ship!" Zoro shouted.

We all hung on to whatever was near us on the ship, preventing ourselves from being flung overboard, as a huge ship actually fell from the sky above us. Yes, a ship. Right over our head. In the middle of the sea. LIKE GRAND LINE ISN'T QUESTIONABLE ENOUGH!

"What?! What is it?! What is it?!" Nami asked in a panicked tone.

"A dream! This has to be a dream!" Usopp answered.

"A dream! Goo-!" Before Chopper was about to be relieved, he and Usopp headbutted each other.

"More stuff is falling! Be careful!" Sanji warned.

"Xion! Use your Dream Eaters!" Nami shouted.

"They can't pull the ship like this!" I exclaimed. "Luffy! We have to protect the ship or we'll sink!"

"Got it!" Our beloved captain was about to do his job, when a certain sniper caught his attention. "Usopp?"

Said sniper was sitting in a meditating position. "Cast aside your worries. Calmly close your eyes. When you open your eyes, a quiet morning lies before you." Instead of a quiet morning as he had hoped, Usopp screamed like a girl at the sight of a skeleton practically tossed to him. "BONES!"

"Idiot! Don't throw it here!" Nami shouted.

"More stuff's falling!" Sanji warned.

* * *

Some time later, things had finally settled down. No more things were falling on top of us, much to all of our relief.

"Why the heck did a ship fall from the sky?" Luffy asked.

"How weird..." Sanji stated.

"There's nothing in the sky," Zoro added.

"Just one of the many questionable things about this sea," I said.

"Oh man, the Grand Line is a crazy place!" Usopp stated. "First we see a Ship Graveyard inside a rainbow mist, and now a ship falls from the sky!" A small scream was heard from our navigator.

"What's wrong, Nami-san?" our chef asked.

"What are we gonna do?! Our Log Pose is broken!" she informed. "It's stuck pointing upwards!"

"That's not it," Robin corrected. "It was updated by an island with stronger magnetism."

"Wait, you mean there's such a thing as a sky island?!" I asked.

"A sky island?!" everyone else repeated.

"What's that?" Nami questioned.

"A floating island?!" Of course, Luffy would be really excited about this.

"D-Did that ship and those bones fall from there?!" our resident liar stuttered.

Zoro looked up. "But I can't see anything like an island in the sky."

"That's not it," Robin once again corrected. "To be more precise, a sea's what's floating."

Our ship's childish trio were all excited at those words.

"I'm getting more and more confused," Sanji said.

' _When does the Grand Line ever make sense anyway?_ ' I mentally asked.

"Yay! There's a sea with an island floating in the sky?! Alright! Let's head there right away!"

"Hey guys! Turn the rudder upwards full! Rudder upwards full!"

Two of the most childish of the trio shouted, seemingly to have forgotten one important detail. Robin used her devil fruit power to cover Luffy's mouth while I karate chopped Usopp on the head.

"We can't go up, bozos," I bluntly reminded.

"To be honest, I've never seen the sky island, nor do I know much about it," our archeologist added.

"Yeah! It's impossible for an island or sea to float in the air!" Nami said logically. "So the Log Pose really must be broken!"

"Nami, did you forget that logic doesn't work in the Grand Line?" I asked. The navigator flinched at the reminder.

"She's right, Navigator," Robin agreed. "Our concern right now is not the Log Pose, but how we get to the sky. No matter what weird situations this gets caught up in or how panicked we get, we must not doubt the Log Pose. This is an ironclad rule."

"No matter what logic you know of, here in the Grand Line, there's no such thing as logic. As surprising as it is, it might not be that uncommon for there to be an island in the sky."

"Then Xion! How about we use one of those spares you have?!" Nami suggested.

"You say that and all but..." I looked over to the more hyperactive member of the group. "I've a feeling someone is going to break them the same way they did back at Whiskey Peak." Seeing my point, Nami gave up on logic, for now.

* * *

Later, we picked up a coffin that fell on our ship. Without any hesitations, Robin opened it.

"What's she doing, Xion-nee?! Opening a coffin!" Chopper asked, attempting to hide behind the mast. Nami also hid behind it, trying to tinker with her Log Pose.

Robin picked up some pieces of a bone and seemed to be trying to put them back together.

"Can you learn something from that?" Zoro asked.

"I don't know," she answered.

"You got some strange tastes!" Nami accused.

"A pretty woman and the dead, now that's an interesting combination," Sanji wooed.

I noticed we were missing a few people and looked and saw the said duo on the sky-fallen ship. "I'll watch over Luffy and Usopp. Something tells me they'll get in trouble," I told them. With that, I followed them onto the wrecked vessel.

"What are you two doing here?" I asked them. "You know this ship is going to sink soon."

"Well yeah, but we figured we can at least find something useful in here. Like an Eternal Pose to the island or maybe a map," Usopp said.

"Hey Usopp! I found something!" Luffy called. "Ah! Xion too! Just in time! Look at this!"

I assumed whatever it was would be cool to Luffy and Usopp but looked anyway. Imagine my surprise when I saw what he found. "A Dream Eater Recipe?!"

"And two of them at that!" Usopp added.

"Right?!" Luffy asked.

"I'm impressed, Luffy. You actually found something good for once."

"I wonder what Sanji can make with these~"

Usopp and I hit him hard on the head. "And just when I thought you were making sense!" he shouted.

"You found something good but for the wrong reason!" I followed, snatching the recipes out of his hand.

"Now then! Let's see what else we can find!" our simple-minded captain said, already venturing deeper in the ship.

"By the way, is it just me, or does it feel like the ship is sinking?" Usopp asked, as we followed him deeper in the ship. We heard the sound of something hitting water and looked down to see our feet in water. Not only that but it was entering from the floor- Wait. Wouldn't that mean?

"Luffy! Forget your adventure! This ship is sinking!" Usopp called.

"Hey! Look at what I found~!" the boy instead called back.

"For goodness sake! Let our words enter your ears you idiot!" I snapped, running to our captain, grabbed him by his shirt and ran out of the sinking vessel, Usopp following me.

We just made it out of the ship and back on our's. Once we set foot, I tossed our captain to the rest of our crew. "You just love to cause problems for us, don't you Luffy?" I growled.

"What happened to you?!" Nami asked.

"What do you think?!"

"Hey guys!" Luffy shouted, grabbing our attention. "I found something incredible! Look!" He had a piece of paper in his hand, rolled up. He unrolled the paper, revealing it to be a map.

Much to our surprise, it was- "A map of the Sky Island?!"

"Skypeia," Nami read. "Does this mean there really is an island in the sky?"

The simpleton trio all cheered at the question and evidence. "Yeah! The Sky Island exist! It's a dream island! We can go to a dream island!" one of the three cheered.

"Don't get so carried away. This only means it might be possible. There are tons of fake maps out there." As Nami said that, the cheers turned into extreme depression. At their new expressions, Nami quickly added, "Er... Sorry! It exists! I'm sure it exists! But..." And instantly, she and Luffy were in a heated argument. "Listen Luffy! I'm telling you we don't know how to get there!"

"You're the navigator! Figure something out!"

"There are some things you can't just 'figure out', you know!"

"I don't care! We're going to the sky!"

Their squabble was getting even more annoying by the second, it was making me snapped. "ENOUGH!" I shouted. "This is getting us nowhere. In any case, we can't bring the ship to the sky like this. If anything, we can't go anywhere like this. What we should do is gather information. If a ship like that can get to the sky, then our ship should too. There should be some more information about it from that ship."

"But it sunk completely," Usopp reminded.

"If it sinks we'll just salvage it!" Nami suggested.

"Oh yeah!" he and Luffy cheered, equipped with fishing gear.

"Not like that!" I smacked them.

"As if we could!" Zoro shouted.

"What's salvage?" Chopper asked Robin.

"It means to pull up a sunken ship," she explained.

"Since the ship is too big, though, it's impossible to pull it up," I pointed out. "Which is why instead, we will just go down there and gather information."

"How?" Usopp asked.

* * *

Later, Luffy, Zoro, Sanji and I were in barrel suits. No this wasn't my idea; this was Nami's. With us was my Fin Fatale, Torpedo.

"Well, well... You really make us do reckless things," Luffy stated.

"Nami-san! I'll be sure to find out a clue to the sky!" Sanji said.

"I'm counting on you!" Nami said.

"Worry not! There are no defects in my design!" Usopp boasted.

"Why am I going with them?!" I demanded.

"You're the responsible one," the members not coming replied.

Just then, a huge fish came out of the ocean and at a passing seagull.

"Well then... I wish you good luck!" Nami said, pushing us to the sea below. Torpedo just followed after us, more specifically me.

* * *

 _ ***ON DECK**GENERAL'S P.O.V***_

"This is Chopper. Everyone, please respond," the man-reindeer spoke.

"This is Luffy. There are tons of monsters down here, over," Luffy replied.

"Is this a sea king's nest?" Zoro asked.

"This is Sanji. Whoa! They looked this way!" Sanji called.

"Help us out, Torpedo!" Xion commanded her fish Dream Eater.

"Okay," Nami simply nodded.

"Okay?!" Usopp gasped in shock.

"They'll survive. Don't worry. Chopper. Hold the brake tight, okay?" Chopper nodded to her demand.

"I'm glad I didn't go," Usopp sighed in relief.

Seconds later, they heard the sound of people chanting, "Salvage, salvage."

"What the heck is that?" Usopp wondered.

"Company halt!" came a voice from the ship.

"Aye, aye, sir!" agreed the crew members.

"Is this the place where the ship sank?!"

"Aye, aye, sir! Boss!"

"By boss... They mean me!" Out came a monkey-like man wearing an orange jumpsuit with a picture of what seemed like a monkey's face on it. "Prepare to salvage the ship! That ship belongs to me, the king of salvagers and the boss of the Masira Pirates!" Soon as he said that, his crewmates all acted like monkeys and picked up a weapon.

"Oh boy... Weirdoes at a time like this," Nami muttered.

The monkey-like man noticed the remaining Straw Hats. "Hey, you! What are you guys doing there?! This is my turf!"

"Your turf?"

"That's right. Every ship that sinks in this territory belongs to me. You haven't touched anything that's mine, have you, huh?!"

"Looks like he's going to salvage the ship," Robin observed.

"Yeah. That's what it sounds like," Usopp agreed.

"Then what? Doesn't this work for us?" Nami asked the group.

"Quit mumbling! Answer my question!" Masira demanded.

Nami raised a hand and called, "Excuse me! Can I ask a question?!"

Unexpectedly, he replied, "You're asking me a question?! That's fine. Ask me anything!"

Unnerved by the sudden change in behavior, Nami continued, "It looks like you're going to salvage a ship. Is that right?"

"'Looks'?" Rather than answering her question, Masira rubbed his face and asked, "Do you really find me that monkeyful?"

"'Monkeyful'?"

"It means 'handsome'. Do you think so?" Although unsure how the subject changed, the Straw Hat navigator said that he does. Masira blushed at the suppose cmoment. "Oh come on! Stop it~!"

"But there isn't such a word, is there?" Usopp muttered. "So are you gonna salvage it?!"

"Of course! If there's a sunken ship in front of me, I'll salvage it! I'm that kind of man! If it's on the water, I'll sink it then salvage it! I'm that kind of man! There's no ship that we can't salvage!"

Having a funny feeling that something would happen if they say they were going to salvage the ship as well, Nami asked, "Then... is it okay if we watch?"

"Hm? Oh, I see. Is salvaging new to you?" He let out a small laugh. "Okay! Go ahead and observe!"

"Alright. Let's wait and see how things go, guys," she whispered to the rest of the Straw Hats.

Just then, a crew member of the Masira Pirates shouted, "Boss! We have a problem!"

"What's wrong?" their captain asked.

"The members who went into the sea to set the cradle are...!"

"Did they get hurt by Sea Kings?" he assumed.

"Well... it looks like they were beaten up by someone."

"What?! Are you saying there's someone down there in the sea?!"

Nami and Usopp flinched at those words.

"Those idiots..."

"This isn't good..."

Masira turned back to them. "Then... Hey, you guys!" The two flinched even more so at his tone. "There's someone in the sea! Be careful!"

"O-Okay!" Nami responded.

' _Good thing he's an idiot,_ ' Usopp thanked whatever star they were born under.

"Guys! Hurry up and set the cradle! Let's start salvaging!" Masira ordered his crew.

"Aye, aye, sir!"

* * *

 _ ***BACK UNDER THE SEA***_

The four strongest Straw Hats were steadily sinking deeper in the water, getting closer to the ship after dealing with the sea kings. Along the way, Xion may have had her suit destroyed while fighting, so she had used her wind magic to create an air bubble for herself and using Torpedo to bring her closer to the ship.

Once they arrived, the four, five including the Dream Eater, went to four different ways. Torpedo, of course, went with Xion.

The two of them swam around, and arrived at what seemed to be the crew's headquarters. The two looked around and saw nothing that seemed useful. At least, Xion thought there was nothing useful. Torpedo dragged her to what seemed like a chest. She tried to open it, only to find it locked. Unlocking it with her Keyblade, she opened the small chest and saw nothing but a seashell.

"There's really nothing here," she said. Torpedo seemed to have disagreed and made a gesture to take it. "I guess it's better than nothing though." Xion took the sea shell and pocketed it.

The two swam to the next room, which seems like the captain's quarters. In it were Luffy, Zoro and Sanji. The swordsman was getting a chest open with a torpedo. Before Xion could speak, he successfully broke the lock and opened the chest. Within it was nothing but a feather.

Suddenly, before they could do anymore investigating, something big was getting hooked onto the ship, much to their surprise and shock.

* * *

 _ ***ON THE SURFACE***_

"What's going on?!" came Luffy's shout.

Nami and Usopp instantly covered the speakers just as Masira was looking over to them, where he heard the voice.

It was silent. Most of the Straw Hats were nervous about the situation at hand. A certain master of lies seemed to have saved the day. "... With that monkey? What's going on with the monkey?!" He pointed at the Masira Pirate's figurehead.

"Oh that? You have discerning eyes. You're right; this is no ordinary prow," Masira answered, oblivious to the cover up as the Straw Hats, minus Robin, sighed in relief. "Launch Barco-Hunter!"

"Aye, aye, sir!" his crewmates replied. All of a sudden, the figurehead was removed from its spot and was lowered into the water.

"Whoa! Amazing!" Chopper stated.

"It's really amazing!" Usopp agreed.

"What is?" Nami asked.

A crew member analyzing the figurehead approaching the sunken ship was giving updates to his captain. "Target is within forty meters... Thirty meters... twenty... ten... Barco-Hunter joint... complete!"

"Alright then! I'll start blowing air!" Masira announced, holding a tube in his hand.

"Aye, aye, sir!"

"What? No way..." Nami spoke in disbelief. "Is he going to breathe into that and lift the ship up?! That's crazy!" She was proven wrong as Masira, after taking in a very deep breath, started to breathe air through the tube.

"The ship's body has risen!" announced a Masira pirate.

"Now! Pull it up!" the monkey-like captain ordered his men. They all obliged and did what they could to successfully salvage the ship. Just then, a scream was heard.

"Boss! The crew that's in the water...!" one of his underlings spoke.

"What's wrong?! What happened, guys?!" Masira demanded.

"There's someone in the ship!" one of his underwater pirates answered.

Hearing those words made Masira snap. "How dare they hurt my guys?! Who the hell are they?!"

The Straw Hat pirates on Merry flinched once more at his tone... when they noticed something off.

"Well, we're not taking pictures or anything, so..." Nami spoke.

"What?!" Masira gasped.

"Oh, he posed for us to take pictures," Usopp said.

"Boss! Help!" came the shout of one of the underwater Masira Pirates... which then ended with a scream.

"I'm coming! Keep on working the salvaging operation!" Masira replied and ordered.

"Aye, aye, sir!" they saluted, as their captain jumped into the ocean.

This worried Nami, Usopp and Chopper. Not for Masira's health, but for the fact that this would most likely make them enemies if he finds out four of their crew were trying to salvage the ship, or at least get information from it.

* * *

 _ ***MEANWHILE, IN THE SHIP**XION'S P.O.V***_

"See? We're fine without the barrel," Luffy said, taking off his barrel suit.

While we were still inside the sunken ship, gathering information, to our shock, someone was trying to salvage the ship themselves. Not only that, but they managed to pump some air in here. Some slightly weird-smelling air.

"It's amazing that they pumped this much air," Zoro said.

"But who's trying to salvage this ship?" I asked, petting Torpedo.

"Something might have happened to Nami-san and Robin-chan," Sanji said, obviously worried for the other females of our crew. "I've been calling them but no response!"

Before any of us could say anything, some guy looking like an ape barged in. "Who the hell are you?! Invading my turf!"

It didn't take me long to realize why no one on our ship answered Sanji. ' _He must be one of the people trying to salvage this ship. Nami and the others must've wanted to play dumb so we wouldn't get into any conflict with them,_ ' I assumed.

"Hm?... Oh, it's a monkey," Luffy stupidly assumed.

' _I GET HE LOOKS LIKE A MONKEY, BUT-!_ '

Before I could finish my thoughts, the monkey-like man blushed and smiled. "What? Am I that monkeyful?"

' _Huh?_ '

"Yeah. You're an imitation monkey," my captain simply answered.

"What kind of conversation is that?" Zoro started to question.

"What do you mean?"

"By the way, who are you?" Sanji asked.

"I see... What can I say?" the monkey-like man asked. "Do you really think so? You have a good eye."

"That doesn't answer the 'who are you' question," I pointed out.

Minutes later, don't ask me how it came to this, but Luffy and the monkey-man, now known as Masira, were having a joyful conversation.

"I see! You guys came from the East Blue, huh?!" Masira asked.

"Yeah! But really, you look just like a monkey!" Luffy replied.

"Quit complimenting me!" Although it should've been an insult, for some reason, Masira took it as a compliment. Saying something like being a monkey means being handsome.

All of a sudden, everything went dark.


	3. Shocking Meetings

***sigh* It's nice to have peace. Of everything in the world, peace is best. *drinks tea and sighs*. Now then, let's see how Xion is doing. *Clicks remote and reveals a struggling Xion in a sunny forest* Whoops, wrong button. The story Xion. Let's get started~**

* * *

 ** _*OPENING*_**

 _ **Let's fly to the sky**  
(The sun rises as Merry sails across the ocean)_  
 _ **There's not a single cloud in the sky  
** (All the current Straw Hats watched the sun rises, Luffy on the figurehead)_

 _ **Let's fly to the sky. (It's time to fly around) Catch the perfect breeze for you  
** (The camera faces the sky as the title appears on the screen) **  
Paint the sky with (Let's go to the wonder world) imagination that no one's ever seen  
** (Camera faces back to the Going Merry as everyone went on with their peaceful business)_

 _ **OH! OH! Even if it's too dazzling (Come on)  
** (Xion looked up and saw Marines ahead of them and warned everyone) **  
OH! OH! under the sun**_  
 _(They all prepared themselves for battle. Marines fired cannon balls at them) **  
OH! OH! If it's you, you can make it! Throw away your pride and FLY!  
** (Luffy, Zoro and Sanji sent the cannons back at them. Usopp fired a cannon of their own with Xion, in her Wisdom Form, unleashed Triple Firaga at them, followed by a Thundaga, clearing their path)_

 _ **Everyday is plain!** **  
Real talent makes the world go round**_  
 _(Going Merry sailed through the smoke. Everyone looked content as they enjoyed the sea breeze) **  
Deceit won't work anymore.  
** (Scene changed to Jaya in Mock Town, as camera faced each of the Blackbeard Pirates.) **  
Mayday, the red light is stopping you too  
** (Scene changed to Cricket's home, showing Cricket with Masira and Shojo side by side.)_

 _ **Lend me an ear! And I'm gonna stick on my RAP! Wussup!  
** (Guthrie fights against some pirates and Heartless. One tried to sneak up on him and Chirithy knocked it away.)_  
 _ **"From tomorrow on I'll get serious!"- seriously cut it out with excuses like that  
** (Allen danced as he dodged the attacks of the pirates and attacked them at the same time)_  
 _ **Increase your money with your dream! Time is money like NASDAQ!  
** (The Straw Hats looked at Cricket's gold and searched for the South Bird) **  
When will you do it boy? It's now or never man! This is the moment, right?  
** (The crew then arrived at the Knock Up Stream and went to the skies.)_

 _ **Everybody put ya hands in the air and clap ya hands like this like that**_  
 _ **Clap ya hands everybody! Everybody just clap ya hands!  
** (Scenes quickly changed to different scenes. Xion and Guthrie crossed blades, Luffy's one-hit KO on Bellamy, the group trying to catch the South Bird, then finally their first encounter with the Shandia Warriors)_

 _ **Let's fly to the sky (It's time to fly around) Catch the perfect breeze for you  
** (The Straw Hat Pirates arrived on Skypiea and were approached by the White Berets and fought them) **  
Paint the sky with (Let's go to the wonder world) imagination that no one's ever seen  
** (Scene changed to the group in the Upper Yard fighting against Heartless, Shandians and Priests)_

 _ **OH! OH! Even if it's too dazzling (Come on)  
** (Scene changed to Xion fighting against a blonde Organization XIII member with knives and lightning magic) **  
OH! OH! under the sun  
** (Changed to Guthrie and Allen teaming up against the Nobodies)_ _ **  
OH! OH! If it's you, you can make it! Throw away your pride and FLY!  
** (Changed to Luffy battling Enel. In a flash of light, opening ends with all of Straw Hats on Merry, facing the camera)_

* * *

 _Last time:_

 _"I see! You guys came from the East Blue, huh?!" Masira asked._

 _"Yeah! But really, you look just like a monkey!" Luffy replied._

 _"Quit complimenting me!" Although it should've been an insult, for some reason, Masira took it as a compliment. Saying something like being a monkey means being handsome._

 _All of a sudden, everything went dark._

* * *

 ** _*MEANWHILE, BACK ON THE SURFACE**GENERAL'S P.O.V*_**

As the two crew wondered what was going on under water, something big was swimming up to the surface. Well, big would be an understatement, for a HUGE turtle emerged from the water. The creature was so big, the ships were about the width of its flipper. Width, not length.

"WHAT IS THAT?! WHAT IS IT?!" Nami screamed. "What is that thing?! What is it?! A continent?!"

"I don't know! I don't know! I don't see a thing! Not one thing!" Usopp exclaimed, covering his eyes. "This is a dream!"

"A dream?! Really?!" Chopper asked.

As if it was the solution to all their problems, the scaredy-cat trio sighed in relief. "Ah... Thank goodness it's only a dream," they said.

Just as they walked away, the one other and last person on Going Merry with them said, "Oh my..." They stopped in their tracks at her voice. "Those four were all eaten along with the ship."

"DON'T SAY IT!" Usopp shouted at Robin.

As the huge turtle before them continued to chew on the boat, as Robin stated, she continued her observation, ignoring Usopp and Chopper's expressions telling her to stop talking. "Their air hoses are coming out of its mouth. I say that decides it."

"XION-NEE AND THE OTHERS HAVE BEEN EATEN!" Chopper cried out, running all over the ship.

"THIS IS ALL YOU'RE FAULT!" Usopp accused Nami. "You made them go to the bottom of the Grand Line! You said it would be okay even though you had no prrof and now they're-!"

"You're right," she admitted, cutting him off. Looked up at the turtle's mouth, where their devoured comrades are, she raised a hand to her mouth and casually shouted, "Sorry!"

Hearing something so simple made Usopp collapse. "That's almost it... but not quite right..."

The next thing they knew, the turtle decided to move. As it did, it dragged the air hoses that was still attached to the Going Merry.

"We'll be helpless unless we cut the air hoses," Robin pointed out calmly. "It's going to drag the ship underwater."

That made Usopp and Chopper panic again.

"Robin, you're strong right?! Do something!" the sniper begged.

"I can't. It's too big," she calmly reasoned, as the giant turtle began to pull the Going Merry and the Masira Pirates' ship.

"Okay boys! Reel in the ropes and save the Boss!" one of the latter pirates shouted. "The pride and honor of the Masira Pirates depend on it! The Boss is still alive!" At that, the group actually reeled themselves closer to the turtle in an attempt to save their captain.

Usopp watched them and steeled up some courage himself. "That's right. This is a time when the crew's loyalty is put to the test!"

"Usopp!" Nami called.

The sniper had a feeling she was thinking the same way he was. "Yeah!"

Unfortunately... "Cut the lines and take us to safety!"

"You're a devil!"

"A devil!" Chopper agreed with the sniper.

All of a sudden, the sky turned dark.

"What the-?! What's going on?!" Usopp asked.

Chopper looked up, shocked at what had just transpired. "It just turned dark!"

Nami looked at the time on her pocket watch. "That's impossible. It's not even the evening."

"THEN WHAT IS IT?!" Usopp demanded. "LUFFY! ZORO! SANJI! XION!"

Unknown to them, the air hose on their ships seemed to loosened up at bit.

"A bad omen! Sudden nightfall is a sign that monsters will appear, Captain!" one of the Masira pirates shouted. "The ship's gonna sink!"

"Hurry up and reel in the Boss!" the captain of their ship ordered.

All of a sudden, something leapt out of the water. Rather, it was thrown out. The Straw Hat Pirates looked up and saw it was their captain, tied up in a sack, that emerged as he fell onto the ship.

Nami approached the rubberman and slapped him silly. "Luffy! What's wrong?! Are you dead?!"

The heard the sound of more feet landing on their ship and looked to see- "Zoro! Sanji! Xion!"

Indeed, it was the chef, swordsman and Keyblade wielder who also landed on Going Merry, as was the latter's Dream Eater. All four were panting and each human were carrying a sack.

"Set sail! We have to get away from here!" Zoro warned.

"That guy's trouble!" Sanji said.

"I'm so glad you're all alive!" Usopp exclaimed in relief.

"Xion-nee!" Chopper leapt into his sister's free arm.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Chopper-kun," she apologized.

As nice of a reunion it was, Usopp had remembered their current situation. "Oh right! Let's get away from that turtle!"

Hearing that confused the four. Torpedo looked behind and stared and gaped in shock.

"A turtle? No, there was a monkey in the ocean," Zoro corrected.

"Must be some kind of sea monster," Sanji guessed.

"He and Luffy became fast friends..." Xion continued.

"They're both monkeys!"

"After we picked up this stuff from that ship, he started rampaging."

"Like a gorilla!"

"That weirdo's Masira, a salvager!" Usopp told the three. "But it's amazing you escaped from the turtle's mouth!"

"Turtle? What turtle?" they asked.

Xion looked behind them and saw what their sniper meant.

Usopp noticed something odd about the turtle. "Huh? The turtle's acting weird... It's just staring with its mouth wide open. That's how you guys escaped!"

The three let out a loud gasp.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!" Sanji asked.

"NOTICE THESE THINGS!" Usopp shouted. "That thing ate you along with the whole ship!"

"You think we would know if we were being eaten?!" Xion demanded. "We jumped off beforehand! Ugh! In any case, let's get away from here!"

"Aye!" they all agreed.

As they were about to get to work, a certain captain of their's decided to finally wake up. "Huh? How come it's nighttime?" he asked.

"Luffy! Come help!" Zoro shouted.

This time, something actually did leap out of the water. "HOLD IT! YOU GUYS!" Masira landed on the side of the ship, as the Straw Hat Pirates stared at the newcomer. "You guys better not think you'll get away with barging onto Masira-sama's turf and stealing treasure!"

Nami perked up at the sound of one little word. "Teasure?! You found treasure?"

Luffy giggled and answered, "Yeah! There were ton!"

' _This is bad,_ ' Zoro thought. ' _If he starts rampaging on the ship..._ '

Everyone prepared themselves for the worse. As they did, Xion heard something.

' _ **Oh... My... God...**_ ' She looked over to the huge turtle and noticed how it was staring at something, jaw dropped. She looked at where she was looking and her eyes widened in great shock. She blinked a few times and rubbed her eyes, hoping she was imagining things, only to see them still there.

"Xion-nee, what's wrong?" Chopper asked. His question brought attention to the rest of their crew as they saw their First Mate seemingly pale.

All Xion could do was shakily raise an arm and point at what was ahead of them.

Everyone looked at where they were looking and were all in the same condition as Xion, the turtle, and the Masira Pirates.

Before them... were shadows much bigger than the turtle. In fact they were bigger than giants, and they met giants. No, if anything, they were big enough to even reach the clouds.

"MONSTERS!" Luffy and Masira cried out, as one of the shadows raised a spear-like weapon.

In a flash, Xion and the boys grabbed out the oars and rowed away, causing Merry to swim as fast as a rocket. Soon enough, they were back in the sunlight away from the shadowy figures.

"That couldn't have been real..." Zoro breathed.

"Those things... were too huge to be real..." Usopp whimpered.

Sanji lit a cigarette. "Man, the Grand Line is just a big parade of one mysterious thing after another..."

"No kidding," Xion agreed, hugging Chopper and Torpedo. "First a giant galleon fell down on us."

"The Log Pose's needle points up to the sky..." Nami continued.

"Some weird monkey comes and raises the ship..." Usopp added on.

"But then a giant turtle comes and gobbles up the ship," Chopper pointed out.

"Night falls," Robin kept listing.

"And then giant monsters a hundred times bigger than the Giants appeared!" Luffy ended.

"Yeah, that sure was scary, I can tell you," Masira commented.

Everyone relaxed for a while, trying to forget about the shadowy figures. As they did so, they realized the trespasser on their ship.

"GET OFF!" Luffy, Zoro, Sanji and Xion shouted, kicking Masira off their ship. Literally.

* * *

A little while later, the Going Merry smoothly sailed across the Grand Line. As they sailed, Xion, Torpedo and the Monster Trio revealed what they hauled up. The boys brought nothing but armor, weapons and cooking pots, while Xion revealed a few old books and a couple seashells. As Nami scolded the boys for bringing nothing but trash, Xion tried looking through the books to see if there was anything useful, only to find nothing.

' _There's nothing here about Sky Island. Even in the log book,_ ' she thought. Xion then looked up and saw Torpedo trying to hand her one of the seashells. ' _I know I have a seashell necklace, but you didn't have to find me more seashells. I'm not a collector._ '

"Xion! Are you listening?!" Nami called. The raven-haired teen looked up at her name being called and saw the navigator looking down at her. "Please tell me there's something in those books that tells us how to get to the sky."

"I checked them all, but there's nothing about how to get the the sky. Even the log book had nothing," she said.

Nami sighed at the information. "Even though you were the only one who actually brought back something we need, none of them had anything... And also, what's with the seashells?"

"How should I know? Torpedo just dumped them in the sack while I was collecting the books." Xion looked down and saw the Fin Fatale still giving her the objects. She sighed and just took them from its mouth. "Sometimes I wish there was a translator for Dream Eaters. Chopper-kun and I can only understand animals."

"That would be nice." Nami looked at Luffy, who approached her with a worn armor and sword. "And what is that, Luffy?"

"Armor," he simply answered.

A second later, Nami hit the boy hard. Enough to destroy the armor as well.

"She smashed the armor!" Zoro shouted in shock.

"Look, Nami-san! I brought you some pretty shells!" Sanji tried to swoon, as usual.

"I don't want them, you dork!" Nami said as she and Xion, who returned Torpedo back in his card, walked to upper deck.

"Nami-san's so cute when she's angry~!"

"Give it up. You should just stay away from her," Usopp tried to advise.

"Having a rough time?" Robin asked from the railing.

"It's only gonna get rougher," the navigator answered.

"Well, we are surrounded by idiots," Xion reasoned. "Even the log book said nothing about how to get to Sky Island, so we're sitting duck."

Robin handed Nami something. "Here."

Both girls looked at it in slight shock. "Huh? An Eternal Pose?" Nami asked.

"When did you...?" Xion tried to question.

"I took it from that monkey's ship... just in case," the older woman answered. She then noticed the two girls trembling.

"Us girls really need to stick together after all..." the Keyblade wielder stated, Nami nodding in agreement.

From the background, Robin can see why they would say such a thing, since Luffy was more eager to have takoyaki for dinner rather than do something that can actually help them find clues about getting to Sky Island.

"Things certainly are stressful for you two," she pitied.

Nami read the name on the pose. "Jaya? This must be their headquarters."

"Jaya? We're going there?" Luffy asked, eating some takoyaki.

"That's something you decide on!"

' _I've a bad feeling about what comes next,_ ' Xion thought, going to the back to train in peace.

As she had predicted, Luffy decided to have the ship head to Jaya. Usopp pointed out that the Log Pose would change course if they did that. Luffy realized that it was true and questioned Nami. After a bit of bickering, in the end, the group were on their way to Jaya.

* * *

 _ ***XION'S P.O.V***_

As we continued sailing to Jaya, I couldn't help but be curious of the shells Torpedo gave me. Normally Dream Eaters would get excited for something if they found something odd or suspicious, or so Voice told me. For seashells? Especially fake ones?

As I took a closer look at the item, I found something off about it.

' _Are these... holes? Really small... and no cracks?_ ' I wondered. I looked on the other side and saw something odd about the apex. ' _Is there... a line? And... is it just me, or does the apex feel a bit loose?_ ' Curiosity got the best of me and I pressed the apex, which surprisingly enough went down. Another shocker...

"AYEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Literally... A shocker... The little seashell actually shocked me!

"Xion! What's wrong?!" I heard Nami asked, as she and everyone else ran to the back and saw me lying on the floor, slightly charred.

Breathing out a bit of smoke, I answered, "I think... I have proof sky island exists... Unless if it is common in the Grand Line..." I raised the shell in the air. Everyone looked at it in confusion.

"What's so special about the seashell?" Usopp asked, taking it from my hand.

"Press down the apex."

Not questioning my instructions, the sniper did as requested and ended up with the same fate as me. "AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" After the little light show was over, he collapsed on the floor like I did, more charred than me.

"Whoa! That's so cool! It's a Mystery Seashell!" Luffy excitedly called it.

"No it isn't!" everyone else, minus Robin, Usopp and me, denied.

After I healed myself, I get the shell out of Usopp's hand and showed it to the group. "So? Did any of you hear anything about seashells that does this in the Grand Line?" I asked, specifically to Robin, who had been here the longest out of all of us.

"No. I haven't seen anything like it actually," she replied.

"So then... that must mean it's from the sky island!" Nami said.

Hearing that made Luffy even more excited. "Woo-hoo! Yes! We have proof sky island exists~!"

"Well, that explains why Torpedo was so insistent in giving me these," I muttered, carefully feeling the other shells in my pocket.

Despite my mutter, Luffy heard what I said. "There are more?! Let's see what they all do!"

"NO!" We, minus Robin, including the recovered Usopp, hit the rubberman hard on the head.

"After what one of them did, I rather not have the ladies get hurt because of your curiosity!" Sanji said.

"And what would happen if one of them can explode?!" Usopp asked.

"We would sink!" Chopper answered and pointed out.

"We would do more than sinking," Zoro added.

"With that said, Luffy, I am going to lock these up," I declared.

The captain of the ship recovered and got back up on his feet. "What?! You can't do that! As captain, I refuse to have you lock them up! Show us what they can all do!"

"I could care less if you were a king! Think about the consequences if one of these were dangerous enough to destroy this ship or kill us! Plus, Torpedo found these and, considering he gave them to me, it would either mean they would be useful to us in the future or I have to keep these out of sight. Either way, I will decide what to do with these. In the mean time, you do whatever you want. But do not even think about trying to get to these!" With that being said, I walked to the girls' bedroom to put the shells in the safe.

' _These will be pretty useful if I can't use my magic,_ ' I thought. ' _And it would also give me a reason to keep my black coat on._ ' After putting the shells away, I went to my training session in my Dive to the Heart.

* * *

In my dive, I was fighting off against some Pirates, Air Pirates, Barrel Spiders, Cannon Guns, Air Soldiers, and Aerial Vikings. Considering we will be heading to Sky Island, there might be enemies that can fly. Why do I assume there will be trouble? We're the Straw Hat Pirates; trouble is bound to find us.

" **Strike Raid!** " I tossed my Keyblade at the aerial Heartless. My weapon struck them all before returning to me, stunning them. I then noticed some of the ground Heartless running to me, prepared for attacks. " **Confusion Strike!** " I did a spin attack, pushing back my enemies. "Time to finish this. **Critical Impact!** " I was once again covered in bright gold aura as I attacked my weakened enemies. I ended the training by slamming my Keyblade down on the ground, sending shockwaves that destroyed the Heartless.

' ** _You are getting better,_** ' Voice commented.

"Only because I had a good teacher," I said.

' _ **However, as good as this is, shouldn't you be focusing on your Wisdom Form?**_ '

"True, but that doesn't mean I should be lacking in my attack power. Can't always rely on my magic. Besides, you let me decide what kind of training I should do."

' _ **Which will now be a one-time thing, with that attitude.**_ '

I chuckled a bit at those words. "I promise next time I train here, I will practice that form."

' _ **Your words, not mine. Now, I believe your ship arrived on the island. Time for you to get some information, don't you think?**_ '

I nodded at his words and returned to the real world.

* * *

By the time I returned, I noticed some of us were already missing. "Where is everyone?"

"Luffy, Zoro and Nami went to get information about the sky island," Usopp answered. "I think Robin went to get some information too."

I raised a brow at the last one. "You think?"

"She just disappeared," Chopper-kun explained.

I sighed at how silent and secretive our newest member seemed to be. "I should go look for some information too. I'll leave some of my Dream Eaters here to watch the ship. Is that okay with you?"

"Sure thing."

"If Xion-san is going then-"

Before the chef of our's could finish, I quickly told him, "Sanji, stay."

Like an obedient dog, a ladies-man of a dog at that, he happily obliged.

I then realized I haven't revived the two Dream Eaters I found. ' _Might as well make their first line of duty be bodyguards,_ ' I thought, taking out the new recipes and the ingredients. After I finished the ritual, a pair of Dream Eaters appeared before us.

They were known as Tatsu Steed and Tatsu Blaze. Both resembled seahorses, one blue and the other red. Both main bodies were either yellow-green or yellow-orange with the Dream Eater sigil on their chest.

"Steed, Blaze. You two stay on this ship and be on guard duty," I ordered. "I'll be in town for a bit. A small group of people might return. An idiot with a straw hat, a green-head swordsman, an uptight navigator and a calm, collected, mysterious woman." The two nodded and saluted in understanding.

"Did you really have to give them so much details?" Usopp asked.

"What would happen if they assume them to be enemies?" I asked back. The sniper agreed to that statement and went back to work on Merry.

"Xion-nee, don't get into too much trouble," Chopper-kun advised.

"I got it, bro." At that, I walked right into town.

* * *

 _ ***MEANWHILE**GENERAL'S P.O.V***_

Robin looked around Mock Town, nearing a bar. ' _I bet I could find some information if I go poking into here,_ ' she thought to herself. ' _By the looks of the townspeople, I might need to twist a few arms or break a few backs to get the info I need._ '

As she was nearing the bar, there was a blast of wind in the alleyway nearby. A muscular man in a mask came pelting out of it, covered in bruises and scratches. The sight startled many of the people about the area and almost startled Robin. She watched as the man squinted back up into the alleyway with a snarl.

"Damn you, bastard…" he moaned. His head fell backwards, as he was losing the stamina to stay conscious.

Inside the alleyway, a shadowy figure sighed as something on his upper left arm shined. A coin shot out into the air from it. He caught it in his right hand, looked at it, and pocketed the coin.

"I told you already, Burgess. I'm not interested in joining your crew, so stop demanding fights against me," he said.

As he walked out, something in his left hand vanished in a gale of light. Robin watched as she saw a young man come out of the alleyway, looking down at the man he called Burgess with a calm expression.

He was maybe eighteen, though he did look a bit on the short side for his age. He had feathered blonde hair and green eyes, a silver earring on his right ear. He also had a lean, yet muscular and slightly tanned body, a dark blue and silver-lined sleeveless vest over light blue short-sleeved shirt, a yellow belt wrapped diagonally across his chest and around his waist, and light brown pants with black belts wrapped at the ankles, one of which held a dark blue and silver-stripped satchel. His shoes were blue with light blue stripes and definitely not a style Robin seen before. He also wore light blue fingerless gloves with white stripes round the wrists and a golden filigree vambrace on his left arm, with a topaz attached.

The young man looked down at Burgess, shaking his head at the sight of him. "Honestly, I just don't understand his problem..." he sighed. He looked up at the crowd watching him. "Shows over, people! I'm not looking for popularity!" he shouted. The people looked scared at how he beaten that muscular guy so easily and left before he decided to turn his strength on them. The young man turned, and saw Robin standing there, with a blank expression on her face. "New to this town?"

"Is it that easy to notice?" Robin question with a smile.

"Nah. I just know a lot of people here. Better watch your step. Lot of guys around here like to boast there strengths and pick fights for no good reason. I don't see what's the big deal about it. I've only been in town for a few days, though, and already, people like this guy..." He poked a thumb back at Burgess. "...want to show they are better than me."

"Well, don't you worry. I'm not here looking for a fight. I'm looking for information."

"Is that so? Well, maybe I can help you. Is there anything you're looking for?"

"Yes. I was hoping if anyone could tell me anything at all about the Sky Islands?" she asked.

"Sky Islands?" the young man questioned. "Well, I don't know anything about it, but I do know someone who does. An old guy by the name of Montblanc Cricket. I've been at his place on the other side of this island since I arrived here. The guy's better than anyone in this shabby old town. Got kicked out for being a big dreamer. But he has mentioned some things about the Sky Islands."

This was just the info that Robin had looked for. She smiled happily at the boy. "Thank you so much. You've been a big help."

The boy felt his heart skip a beat and blushed at how beautiful her smile was. "N-No problem. I'm always glad to help people out. Oh, maybe this will help you, as well." He dug into his satchel and pulled out a map. "This is a map of the island. The left is this town, Mock Town. Cricket's place is on the 'x'. If you see Cricket, tell him Guthrie sent you his way. He knows me, so I'm sure that will be fine."

"Thank you, Guthrie," Robin replied. She turned and left him as she headed back to the Going Merry.

' _What a helpful young man he was,_ ' she thought to herself. ' _He doesn't seem like a local. And those clothes of his are certainly unusual. I wonder who he really was?_ '

Guthrie went back to the other side of the alleyway, thinking back to the woman he just met. ' _Who was she? She does seem very charming, and I couldn't just walk away from her when she needed some help,_ ' he thought as he turned left along the docks on the other side. ' _Ah, who am I kidding? I'm sure that was just because of how pretty she was. I can't go judging people on just that! Get ahold of yourself, Guthrie_.'

"Get ahold of yourself, Guthrie," a high-pitched voice echoed Guthrie's thoughts. He stopped and turned to see a small gray and black-striped character with a cat-like head the size of its entire body, a blue and white cape on its back, and a pink and yellow-trimmed pouch around his neck, which also had a white star. "You can't just go helping every single kind-hearted person you meet. Now, that woman has the only map we have of this island!"

"It's not like I don't know my way around, Chirithy," Guthrie answered. "Besides, all I did was tell her where Cricket's place was at. I was planning to go back there anyway, so maybe she can give me back the map."

"Well, forget all that, 'kay?" Chirithy questioned seriously. "You still haven't found the girl, have you?"

"Nothing. No signs of her. I've been looking around this town for days and she hasn't even appeared once! You sure she will come here?"

"Absolutely! I'd bet my best dream on it. You just have to keep looking for her, no matter what, got it?! It's your duty to find her!"

"I don't see how it is my duty, but okay." Guthrie walked along the docks once more. "But first, let's go home and grab a snack. I'm sure Cricket is still diving for more artifacts, right now."

"That old guy with the acorn hat just won't quit on doing that, will he?" Chirithy hopped onto Guthrie's shoulder as they walked off.

* * *

 _ ***BACK WITH XION**XION'S P.O.V***_

They say a bar is the best place to find information. Either that or some shady place. Of what I can see, this town is pirate-infested. I highly doubt there would be a shady place anywhere here.

"The era where pirates have dreams will be over, they say?! Huh?!" came a loud voice. One that was so familiar to me. "People's dreams... have no end!" I looked over and, from the other side of an alley, I saw one pirate I never thought I'd see again.

' _Blackbeard?!_ ' I was prepared to fight him, when I noticed Luffy, Zoro and Nami standing in front of him, the latter two bloody, but not that beaten. ' _What happened to them?_ '

"Isn't that right?!" Blackbeard continued to speak. Around them, many people, either other pirates or people who live in this town, started to mock him for his claims. Instead of beating them for defying him like how I remembered, Blackbeard ignored them and continued to speak to my crewmates. "Outdoing others isn't easy! Zehahahahaha! They can go ahead and laugh at us. When you aim high, you sometimes come across fights not worth fighting. Isn't that right?! Zehahahahaha!" I noticed Zoro walking away and Nami calling for Luffy. "Oh, looks like I interrupted you. Are you in a hurry? I hope you can go to the sky island!" He took a drink of his rum and walked away.

Seeing this baffled me. Last time I saw Blackbeard, he was a jerk. But now, he seemed like a good guy. Had he changed?

I shook my head and let the matter slide.

"Oh? What are you doing here, Demon-san?" came a voice behind me, much to my surprise.

"Robin! Don't do that!" I said.

"My... If I didn't know any better, I might not think of you as a demon."

I glared at her and her amusement. "So? Did you find anything?"

"Yes. And a little something extra, as you can see," she answered, holding up some bags.

"Then I guess I got off the ship for no reason." I turned to the direction of Merry. "Let's go back. The faster we get out of here, the faster we can get to sky island." She nodded in agreement and we walked back to the ship.

* * *

As we returned, we noticed an upset looking Nami glaring at Usopp and Chopper-kun, one who was playing dead and the other in his Guard Point. Steed and Blaze hugged each other in fear for our navigator.

"It's quite lively up here," Robin spoke. "Why are you so upset?"

"Oh! Welcome back, Robin-chan, Xion-san! Would you like to eat first, or shall I prepare you a bath?"

"I'll pass on both," I answered. The two seahorse Dream Eaters ran to my side. "What's wrong? Did something scare you?" I asked, petting them on the head. "Don't worry, it's okay now."

"Oh, Robin, Xion. Did you two go somewhere?" Luffy asked.

"Yeah. I got some clothes and information about the sky island," the archeologist answered.

"I was about to get information about the sky island, but by the time we met up, Robin already got something so I came back," I answered after.

"That's right! You, Robin and Xion!" Nami began to accuse, pointing at us. "This all happened because you both started talking about that sky island! If it doesn't exist, I'll send you both to a watery grave!"

"Leave her alone for now. Or rather, you's better not get close to her. Just don't rock the boat," Usopp advised.

I couldn't help but be a bit frightened myself of the orange-head girl. ' _What happened while they were out?_ ' I wondered, returning my new, scared Dream Eaters to their cards.

In the mean time, as Robin walked away, she used her devil fruit powers to hand Luffy a map. "Here, Captain."

"Oh! It's a treasure map!" he instantly said.

Usopp looked over his shoulder and saw it wasn't a treasure map. "Hm? Isn't it just an ordinary map? Where is it?"

"It's this island," Robin answered. "The town drawn on the left is Mock Town, where we are now. And you see an 'x' on the other side of the map, right? I heard that a man who doesn't blend in with Jaya lives there."

We were all confused at the description. "Doesn't blend in?"

"His name is Montblanc Cricket. A man who talked about dreams and was driven out of this town. You might have something in common to discuss." Robin then went into the girls' bedroom.

"Then, why don't we try going there?" Luffy suggested.

Usopp tried to warn him about something. "Hey, wait a sec, Luffy. I'm not sure if we should go now because..." Cutting himself off, he looked over to our doctor. "Hey Chopper, you saw it too earlier, didn't you?" Only to see him and Zoro soaked, the former heavily breathing.

"What were you guys doing?" I asked, slightly worried for my brother-figure.

"Man, you're such a pain," I heard Zoro mutter.

"But... Nami was-"

Before Chopper could say anymore, Nami snapped at him again. "What?! I'm what?! You're trying to say I'm some simple-minded idiot?!"

"No one said that," I corrected.

* * *

And so we sailed to the other side of the island, where Cricket is said to live. On the way there, there was a ship in our way, one that seems strangely familiar.

"Didn't take long for us to come across something weird," Luffy stated. "But it doesn't look like the same guys from before, Usopp." As we sailed earlier, Usopp warned us about the salvagers being on the island.

"Well, whether that's a good or bad thing is another story," Sanji said.

"In any case, we did see them! Right?" Usopp exclaimed.

"Yeah. As we thought, that salvager is from this island! We saw his ship coming back!" Chopper supported.

"I see. But I don't mind seeing him again," our captain said.

"Though you have to give them credit for being able to return here without their Eternal Pose. Unless if they had more than one that is," I commented.

"Hey, hey, you guys! Quit mumbling over there!" said someone from the other ship. "Ha! Honestly, I got all worked up wondering who you guys were!"

We all simply stared at the large, monkey-like figure in green, who is most likely the captain, in silence. A silence Luffy broke. "That's quite a reckless face you got! What species are you?"

"I'm human, you moron!"

' _I find that hard to believe,_ ' I thought.

"You punks! You don't know Shojo-sama?!" demanded one of his crew members. "He's the big boss of the of the Shojo Pirates and king of the undersea search!"

"Don't make our big boss angry!" another member of his crew said.

Their captain just waved off their words. "Now, now... Looks like you're pirates. Did you know that Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords, was defeated? When you consider my abilities, that post may come to me. So I've been getting all worked up, waiting to be contacted."

"I see... So you want to be one of the Seven Warlords of the sea?" Luffy asked.

"Well, in any case, the great part about me is that I haven't had my hair cut in all my 25 years of life. Now, aren't you surprised?"

' _Is he really proud of having long hair?_ ' I wondered.

"Sounds stupid," Luffy blurted out.

"Whoa! I'm surprised!" Shojo said.

"Hey! Watch your mouth!" one of his men shouted.

"Now, now. What you say really gets me all worked up. Listen. You will come out of the tunnel that is my anger into a sea of blood."

"Okay, whatever. But there's a place we wanna go. So move aside." the straw hat idiot of our's said.

That made Shojo snap. "Idiot! This area is my turf! If you wanna pass through, pay the toll!"

"What does he mean his turf?" Usopp asked. "He's talking like Masira."

"Masira? The salvaging guy? He said something like that?" I asked.

"What?! Masira?! What about Masira?!" What got that guy worked up?

"Huh? Well, we kicked him off our ship, but-"

"K-Kicked? Kicked?!" Luffy's answer made him even more mad. "KICKED?! How dare you do that to my brother?! I'll make you pay for that!"

"Hey! Hang on a second! We kicked him, but he's still alive!" Luffy tried to reason. But Shojo would have none of it.

He took out a mic and shouted, "Sound Wave! Havoc Sonar!" The next thing we knew, he started screaming into the mic. It was so bad, the ship, their ship, was starting to get torn apart.

"What is he doing?" I asked.

"Who knows? But it's amazing. He's destroying his own ship," Luffy said in amazement.

"Hey everyone! Stop gawking and let's get through here while we can!" Nami told us.

"Okay~!" Sanji swooned.

"Oh! Nami's not a demon anymore!" Luffy said.

"Really?!" Chopper was happy at the news.

"Yeah, she should be calmer after letting off that much steam," Usopp stated.

Just then, we all heard a crack and looked to see Merry starting to break apart.

...

Wait, what?!

"H-Hey! Hold on!" Usopp cried out. "This isn't good. The waves made it to this ship as well! The ship's starting to fall apart, particularly the repaired areas! The ship's body is already worn out as is! If we stay here, the ship will be torn apart!"

"Full speed ahead!" Nami ordered. "To someplace out of his voice's reach!" With that, we quickly sailed away from Shojo and his ship.


	4. Cricket and Noland

**Coral: okay. I should be safe right now. Ahem. Welcome to the next chapter of SCP: Soaring to the Sky! Not much action will be seen in this chapter, but it will bring about some surprises for you all~ Hope you enjoy them!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or Kingdom Hearts. I do not own Guthrie and, soon to join, Allen. Well, actually I kind of do own him.**

* * *

 ** _*OPENING*_**

 _ **Let's fly to the sky**  
(The sun rises as Merry sails across the ocean)_  
 _ **There's not a single cloud in the sky  
** (All the current Straw Hats watched the sun rises, Luffy on the figurehead)_

 _ **Let's fly to the sky. (It's time to fly around) Catch the perfect breeze for you  
** (The camera faces the sky as the title appears on the screen) **  
Paint the sky with (Let's go to the wonder world) imagination that no one's ever seen  
** (Camera faces back to the Going Merry as everyone went on with their peaceful business)_

 _ **OH! OH! Even if it's too dazzling (Come on)  
** (Xion looked up and saw Marines ahead of them and warned everyone) **  
OH! OH! under the sun**_  
 _(They all prepared themselves for battle. Marines fired cannon balls at them) **  
OH! OH! If it's you, you can make it! Throw away your pride and FLY!  
** (Luffy, Zoro and Sanji sent the cannons back at them. Usopp fired a cannon of their own with Xion, in her Wisdom Form, unleashed Triple Firaga at them, followed by a Thundaga, clearing their path)_

 _ **Everyday is plain!** **  
Real talent makes the world go round**_  
 _(Going Merry sailed through the smoke. Everyone looked content as they enjoyed the sea breeze) **  
Deceit won't work anymore.  
** (Scene changed to Jaya in Mock Town, as camera faced each of the Blackbeard Pirates.) **  
Mayday, the red light is stopping you too  
** (Scene changed to Cricket's home, showing Cricket with Masira and Shojo side by side.)_

 _ **Lend me an ear! And I'm gonna stick on my RAP! Wussup!  
** (Guthrie fights against some pirates and Heartless. One tried to sneak up on him and Chirithy knocked it away.)_  
 _ **"From tomorrow on I'll get serious!"- seriously cut it out with excuses like that  
** (Allen danced as he dodged the attacks of the pirates and attacked them at the same time)_  
 _ **Increase your money with your dream! Time is money like NASDAQ!  
** (The Straw Hats looked at Cricket's gold and searched for the South Bird) **  
When will you do it boy? It's now or never man! This is the moment, right?  
** (The crew then arrived at the Knock Up Stream and went to the skies.)_

 _ **Everybody put ya hands in the air and clap ya hands like this like that**_  
 _ **Clap ya hands everybody! Everybody just clap ya hands!  
** (Scenes quickly changed to different scenes. Xion and Guthrie crossed blades, Luffy's one-hit KO on Bellamy, the group trying to catch the South Bird, then finally their first encounter with the Shandia Warriors)_

 _ **Let's fly to the sky (It's time to fly around) Catch the perfect breeze for you  
** (The Straw Hat Pirates arrived on Skypiea and were approached by the White Berets and fought them) **  
Paint the sky with (Let's go to the wonder world) imagination that no one's ever seen  
** (Scene changed to the group in the Upper Yard fighting against Heartless, Shandians and Priests)_

 _ **OH! OH! Even if it's too dazzling (Come on)  
** (Scene changed to Xion fighting against a blonde Organization XIII member with knives and lightning magic) **  
OH! OH! under the sun  
** (Changed to Guthrie and Allen teaming up against the Nobodies)_ _ **  
OH! OH! If it's you, you can make it! Throw away your pride and FLY!  
** (Changed to Luffy battling Enel. In a flash of light, opening ends with all of Straw Hats on Merry, facing the camera)_

* * *

 _Last time:_

 _"Oh! Nami's not a demon anymore!" Luffy said._

 _"Really?!" Chopper-kun_ _was happy at the news._

 _"Yeah, she should be calmer after letting off that much steam," Usopp stated._

 _Just then, we all heard a crack and looked to see Merry starting to break apart._

 _..._

 _Wait, what?!_

 _"H-Hey! Hold on!" Usopp cried out. "This isn't good. The waves made it to this ship as well! The ship's starting to fall apart, particularly the repaired areas! The ship's body is already worn out as is! If we stay here, the ship will be torn apart!"_

 _"Full speed ahead!" Nami ordered. "To someplace out of his voice's reach!" With that, we quickly sailed away from Shojo and his ship._

* * *

We were sailing away from Shojo's ship and his voice. As soon as we were in the safe zone, some of us helped Usopp fix up Merry.

"Seriously... Seriously... Seriously... Seriously... That damn orangutan! He wrecked the ship even more!" he muttered.

"This ship has really started to fall apart," Zoro stated. "Maybe it's about time to replace it."

Even though it may be a joke, Usopp panicked at the sudden idea. "Don't you dare start saying inconsiderate things, too!"

"Don't you dare!" Chopper-kun repeated in amusement.

"You know exactly how we got this ship, right?!"

"Right?!"

Luffy, lightly hammering a needle in some wood for the railing, said, "I know, Usopp. Complaining won't get us anywhere. Going Merry is an important part of the team. So let's work together and repair the ship."

As he said that, Usopp still tried to mimic Usopp when he snapped at Zoro about replacing their ship.

I smiled at his words. ' _One of the times I respect him as my captain,_ ' I thought. Next thing I knew, I heard the sound of a crash and turned to see that Luffy hammered a bit too hard and destroyed part of the ship.

"You idiot! Are you repairing the ship or wrecking it?!" Usopp demanded.

"No, I'm really trying to fix it but-" Luffy was cut off as he accidentally destroyed another part of the ship. "Whoops. It got broken again."

"Luffy!" our sniper and doctor screamed.

' _And there goes that one time of respect,_ ' I mentally added.

* * *

After fixing up the Merry, I went up where Nami and Robin were and conversed with them about our destination on the other side of Jaya.

"We left Mock Town and headed East by circling around the island. We're almost here on the map," Nami analyzed. "That man... What's his name again?"

"Montblanc Cricket," Robin answered.

"Montblanc Cricket, the man who talks about dreams, lives there?" I questioned.

"A-Amazing!" we heard. Looking down to Luffy and Usopp then to where they were looking, we saw a castle by the edge of the island.

"That's his house?! That's a palace!" Luffy shouted.

"Is this Montblanc Cricket guy mega-rich?!" Usopp questioned.

Most of us who were more sane knew better than that.

"Idiots. Look closely," Zoro told them.

"A dreamer, huh? He does seem to be in vain," Sanji said.

"Hm? Why?" Chopper-kun asked, not seeing what was wrong with the castle.

Luffy jumped off to investigate and saw what they meant. "HUH?! It's just a board!"

"What?!" Usopp and Chopper-kun gasped.

"So his house is just half a house. The rest is veneer," I said. "Kind of cheap, isn't he?"

"What kind of dream did he talk about that would get him driven out?" Nami asked Robin.

"I don't know," she answered. "But the person who told me said he knows something about the Sky Island."

"But who knows if there's really anything here?"

As much as it pained me to do this, I knew that if nothing was done, Nami may have us sail away from here. "He might have some sort of treasure here from Sky Island," I suggested.

As if it had become a new magic word, Nami perked up at the one certain word. "Treasure?! Like what?!"

"Um... Maybe gold that can only be found on Sky Island?"

As planned, the navigator of ours got all fired up. "GOLD! Dig the ground, Chopper! Gold will surely appear!" she ordered.

As obedient as he was, my little brother went into his full reindeer form and dug with his horns.

"Will it really appear?" he asked.

"Living alone in such a remote area?" Sanji asked.

"Hello? I'm coming in," Luffy spoke, casually letting himself in.

"Couldn't you wait a moment?!" Usopp gasped.

"It's already too late," I told him. Despite that, the liar of a sniper went to retrieve our captain. I decided to take a look around the area, or was about to when I heard a voice.

' ** _You came at last..._** ' I let out a small gasp and turned to the source, which was the woods close by. ' _ **Please... Take me back...**_ '

"I'll be back in just a bit guys," I informed, running to the direction of the voice. My friends all called my name, but duty calls.

* * *

I found myself somewhere in the woods, quite far from my crew. With the glowing, blank Dream Eater card in my hand as a guide, I looked around to see if there was a Keyhole nearby. Turned out, for some reason, it was on a birds nest high up a tree. I didn't bother questioning it and just pointed my Keyblade at it, starting whatever challenge was to come.

' ** _It's been a while since we last did a challenge, hasn't it?_** ' Voice asked.

"It has. The recipes I gained up to this point were mostly given to me," I agreed. "So what's this challenge?"

' _ **Actually, this challenge won't be until later tonight.**_ ' I didn't know if he could see me, but I gave a look of confusion at the sentence. ' ** _So until then, you may do what you wish until later._** '

"Um... Okay." With that, I walked back to my crew.

* * *

 _ ***GENERAL'S P.O.V***_

By the time Xion returned, she saw a wet, shirtless guy with a chestnut on his head shooting at Sanji with a pistol. Zoro was charging at the man while he was distracted trying to kill the cook.

"What happened while I was gone?!" she questioned, as she charged at the group of men. The next thing they all knew, the guy just collapsed. "What?"

Usopp and Luffy emerged from the water, the former supporting the latter. "My god. What were you thinking?" the sniper asked.

"I saw... bubbles coming from the water," the captain explained, coughing out some water he may have swallowed. "So I was looking in the water, then suddenly a chestnut appeared. The chestnut was actually a guy and he dragged me in the water." The two then looked at Luffy would-be killer. "Hey, old man!"

Xion ran over and crouched by the downed man's side, examining him. "Looks like he's in pain. Chopper-kun, go help him out!"

"Right!" Chopper answered. "Somebody bring him inside the house. I'll examine him there."

While Ussop pulled Luffy out of the water, Sanji reached down and hoisted the chestnut man around the shoulder.

"Hey!" barked a voice from afar.

Everyone turned to see someone rush out from shoreline by the woods. Robin recognized the person as the boy who gave her the map of Jaya, Guthrie.

"What the hell did you do to old man Cricket?!" he demanded, rushing forward.

"Wait, hold on! It's not what you think!" Nami responded, but Guthrie didn't listen. He was charging towards Cricket, who was surrounded by Zoro, Sanji and Xion.

"Xion-san, look out!" Sanji called out, his hands full with the old man.

"Don't worry. I got him," the Keyblade wielder answered, pulling out a card. " **Summon: Komory Bat!** " Fang came out, screeching at the ready. "Give him an earful, but don't kill him, Fang!" Fang flew at Guthrie, understanding Xion's orders.

"So you control Dream Eaters, do you?" Guthrie asked questionably. "Well, guess what..." Fang unleashed a sound wave at the charging young man, who leapt out of range. "I'm not interested in your Nightmares!" In a gust of light, he summoned a weapon that shocked everyone, especially Xion.

"A Keyblade?!" she gasped.

Indeed, it was a Keyblade, with the guard looking like the helm of a ship, the teeth shaped like an anchor, and a gold medallion on the keychain.

" **Ice Dash!** " Guthrie shouted. He encased himself in an icy aura as he shot himself right at Fang. He struck him hard, sending the bat Dream Eater hurdling to the ground, encased in ice.

"Fang!" Xion gasped.

"That boy uses... a Keyblade?!" Robin questioned in a wide-eyed demeanor.

"But how? I thought Xion-nee was the only one who uses one!" Chopper cried out.

"Never mind that! He took out one of Xion creatures!" Nami exclaimed.

Guthrie landed on the ground with the frozen Dream Eater behind him, and he charged at Xion. "I won't let you get in my way!" he shouted, pulling back his blade at an angle.

Xion retaliated by summoning her own Keyblade, blocking the attack unleashed onto her. There was a loud clang as the stems of the Keyblades met one another, and a slight shockwave from the force of impact that shook the grass about.

Guthrie saw Xion's weapon and went wide-eyed. "You have that weapon, too?!"

"That's what I was gonna say!" Xion responded, shoving Guthrie away from her.

While in midair, Guthrie did a reverse somersault as sent his Keyblade flying at Xion, shouting, " **Strike Raid!** "

" **Quick Blitz!** " The girl responded with a jumping slash that countered the oncoming weapon, striking it away from her.

Guthrie called back his Keyblade to his hand when the attack failed.

"Let's see how you deal with magic. **Aeroga!** " Guthrie pointed his blade at Xion and unleashed a powerful whirlwind at her.

" **Firaga!** " Xion retorted with her fire magic.

The two attacks collided, causing an explosion that everyone endured. When it subsided, Guthrie and Xion glared back at one another, wondering how to one-up the other.

"Where did you get that Keyblade?" the former questioned.

"It's mine. I was wondering where you got yours!" the latter retorted.

"Well, it's mine as well," Guthrie answered, getting into a battle stance. "I'm not gonna let you take away Cricket, you understand?"

"Can you listen for a freakin' second?!" Xion barked.

"She's right! Can't you?!" questioned a small voice. There was a puff of smoke in front of Guthrie, and Chirithy came out in front of him.

"Woah! Where did that cat come from?!" Ussop demanded.

"It looks a lot like one of Xion's Dream Eaters!" Nami compared. "But, I heard it speak like us. Xion's Dream Eaters can't do that."

"What are you doing, Chirithy?" Guthrie asked.

"I can sense it. This girl... she's the one we've been looking for!" Chirithy answered, skipping towards Xion, who looked startled. "Yeah, it is! The girl that you are sworn to protect. This is her!"

"'Protect'?" Xion echoed the cat creature's word.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Guthrie stopped him. "That's the girl?! But her friends hurt Cricket! Why should I protect someone who hurt my friend?!"

Hearing such accusation made Xion snap. "We're not the ones who hurt him! He collapsed after he attacked us and he needs medical attention! WE'RE TRYING TO HELP HIM!"

Xion's words broke through to Guthrie, who was taken aback. He lowered his Keyblade as he looked to Cricket in Sanji's arms.

"Sanji, what are you doing?!" the female chosen of the Keyblade demanded. "Get that old man Cricket inside his house so Chopper-kun can have a look at him!"

"Whatever you say, Xion-swan~!" the chef answered in his lovesick response. He then rushed Cricket into the house, with Chopper right behind him.

As Guthrie watched them, he noticed Robin standing nearby. "You again," Guthrie noticed.

Robin didn't respond, but looked transfixed at the boy. ' _He uses a Keyblade, just like Demon-san,_ ' she thought to herself. ' _Why is there another one of them here? And where did he get his Keyblade?_ '

Guthrie calmed himself down as he said, "Well, if you're with them, then I guess I'll let you guys off the hook... for now. Right now, Cricket comes first!" Guthrie raced after the doctor and his patient.

"Hold on! You can't just walk away from this girl!" Chirithy cried out as it raced after its master.

Xion watched the two leave, then looked at the rest of the crew with them.

"What in the world is going on?" she questioned. With no answers, the crew followed everyone inside the small house.

"Bring more cold towels! Open up the windows!" Chopper instructed, treating his patient.

"It's caisson disease, isn't it?" Xion guessed.

"Caisson disease?" Zoro repeated.

"Is he sick then?" Luffy asked.

"Yeah. It's a sickness divers get sometimes," the man-reindeer answered. "But it doesn't usually become a longstanding condition. Due to a lack of decompression when surfacing from the seabed, the nitrogen dissolved in the blood gets released quickly and forms gas bubbles at the time. Since the gas bubbles expand inside and outside of the blood vessels, they cause problems to blood flow, muscles and joints."

"So it's some bizarre phenomenon, huh?" Luffy dumbed it down to his own understanding.

"In a way, yes," Xion confirmed.

"My guess is that he kept diving everyday, without giving his body time to recover, and it finally caught up with him," Chopper assumed. "That's why he passed out during the fight."

"You're right on your assumption," Guthrie confirmed, sitting in a chair nearby the entrance of the room. "From the past few days since I've been here, Cricket's been doing non-stop diving, only stopping to eat something or chat with me while smoking, which also doesn't help his lungs at all."

"But why would he want to do that?" Nami asked him.

"Well, he struck some loot on the day we met," Guthrie recalled. "He kept saying 'he finally found it' and kept diving without a long-enough break. What he found? I can't really confirm it."

"He was taking a big risk," Chopper stated. "In some cases, Caisson disease can cause death. He's lucky to be alive." Everyone looked to Cricket, worried about him.

"Just make sure that isn't the case, reindeer doc," the male Keyblade wielder told the doctor in a serious tone. "He's a good man and doesn't deserve to die."

"Don't worry. I'll make sure he gets better," Chopper assured him.

"While we're at it, mind telling us who you are?" Xion questioned. "And why do you have a Keyblade?" Everyone looked to Guthrie, while Chirithy came to his side.

"Yeah, I'd better explain myself. But I'd like to start off with introductions from both sides." Guthrie stood up onto his feet. "My name is Guthrie. I've only been a Keyblade wielder for under a week. This little guy is Chirithy. He's been kinda my teacher for wielding the Keyblade, as well as my guide."

"A pleasure to meet you!" Chirithy greeted, bouncing towards Xion. "Please, forgive Guthrie's actions to you. He's tends to go a little overboard when helping others out, like that old man."

"No, it's okay," Xion assured, thinking to herself how she can relate to that. "Still, I'm pretty impressed that he was able to fight like that, despite only using the Keyblade for less than a week."

"I learn quickly," the fellow chosen answered. "So, mind telling me your name, Keyblade girl?"

"My name is Xion. I'm the vice-captain of this group of pirates."

"Pirates? But you don't act like all those other ones in town."

"We're an oddball group, I know. Anyways, the boy in the straw hat in our captain, Luffy. The guy with the swords is Zoro. Then there's our navigator, Nami, our chef, Sanji, our doctor, Chopper, and our archeologist, Nico Robin."

Guthrie looked to Robin at her introduction. "So an archeologist, huh? Never heard of those kinds of people being pirates. But I guess that's why you were looking for information in town."

"That's right," Robin answered. "Although, I didn't expect to meet another Keyblade wielder like Demon-san."

"Demon?" Guthrie looked over to Xion, who simply shrugged and waved it off.

"Do you know him, Robin?" Nami asked.

"He's the one who gave me his map, as well as where to find Montblanc Cricket," the older woman answered.

"Yeah, speaking of which, now that you found this place, I wouldn't mind having my map back," Guthrie pointed out.

"No need for that!" Chirithy responded.

"But you said-"

"Now that you found the girl you are destined to protect, you don't need to get the map back from that woman. You're going to join with her, which means you're going to join her crew."

"Woah, wait a moment!" Guthrie stopped his partner. "Who said anything about me joining a group of pirates?! And why are you trying to make my choices before I even get a say in the matter?!"

"Because it's your duty!" Chirithy leapt up into Guthrie's face.

"So what?! Let me decide whether to join or not!"

"Hold on, you two!" Xion called out, stopping the argument. "What the heck are you two talking about?! Protect me? Duty? You are not making any sense!"

"So does that mean he's joining my crew?" Luffy asked. "Hey, are you a musician?!"

"Why the heck would that matter?!" Nami, Ussop, Zoro and Xion barked.

Just then, there was a trampling of footsteps. Two familiar large faces appeared through the door of the small house. "Hey old timer! Are you alright!" both shouted. The two were the two monkey men that the Strawhat crew met before, Masira and Shojo. They drew the attention of everyone in the room, putting Ussop and Chopper in a panic.

"What in the world are you people doing here?!" Shojo questioned.

"And just what do you think you're doing to the old timer?!" Masira followed. The monkey man turned to Guthrie. "Hey, Guthrie, tell us what's going on?!"

"Easy, guys!" Guthrie assured them. "They're trying to help old man Cricket. And your loud voices aren't gonna make him feel better."

"He knows these savages!" Ussop exclaimed in a frightened tone. "He must've called both of them here and now they're gonna kill us! Xion, help us!"

The first mate face-palmed herself, knowing that they were just overreacting.

Instead of getting angry, however, both monkey men broke down in tears as they said, "Thanks, you guys!"

Chopper and Ussop both fell and skidded to a halt, while the latter said, "They're thanking us?"

"Now, everyone, get out of the house and leave the doctor to his patient," Guthrie informed everyone in the room. "I'll explain myself better, but give old man Cricket some peace, okay?"

* * *

While Luffy was chatting it up with the two monkey men, with Ussop and Zoro listening in, Xion and Robin were right by Guthrie and Chirithy as the male Keyblade wielder wandered up to the edge of the island, grabbing a random rock and hoping it would skip. Instead, it sank in the water with a splash.

"So now that we have introductions aside, mind telling me why you have a Keyblade?" Xion asked. "And why is Chirithy saying you need to 'protect' me?"

"Well, I guess I should start at the beginning, shouldn't I?" Guthrie asked, picking up a flat rock and making it skip a couple times before it sank. "First of all, let me just say that I only knew the Keyblade from a legend I was told by my biological mother and father. Actually, they always called them fairy tales. According to the legends, there was a world filled with light called Daybreak Town and it was home to countless Keyblade wielders who fought against the darkness, but that there were five leaders among them, and a 'Master of Masters' among them."

"There were countless numbers of them?" Robin questioned, amazed. "And they all fought the darkness?"

"According to the stories I heard. My mother was the one who told me about these legends, since she was the one who told my dad. She told me all about the Keyblade and the history of how the world split itself into many smaller worlds after a great war between the five leaders and their groups. She always ended saying that we were among the dandelions that flew away from the fight, and that we were chosen for something special."

Xion and Robin were both intrigued by Guthrie's mother's tale, but also wondering how this connected with him being a Keyblade wielder.

"I pretty much grew up on it for most of my life. But as I grew up, I questioned whether the stories were true. I never saw a Keyblade wielder, nor did anyone I know ever heard this story before," he continued. "But that all changed a few days ago, on the night of my 18th birthday…"

* * *

 _ ***FLASHBACK***_

Guthrie was fast asleep, not even stirring a bit at all. His room was completely dark, with only the moonlight outside his window faintly glowing into his room, due to the moon hidden by some clouds.

Just then, the clouds parted, revealing the moon beaming at its fullest. The light glowed itself on Guthrie's face, as he slowly opened his eyes. ' _What was that?_ ' he wondered. ' _That dream... What in the world was that all about?_ ' He had just dreamt an unusual one. It had him on a few platforms, guided by a voice that gave him several trials. But what did they mean? He didn't know what they were all about.

"Hey, Guthrie!" chimed a childish voice. Guthrie jumped and looked around his room. "Down here!" The voice came from the floor next to him. He looked down, and saw Chirithy there. "Hey. Glad to see you woke up, in more ways than one."

The teen gasped and backed away from it. "Wha-! A talking cat?! What's with that huge head?"

"I'm not a cat! I'm a Dream Eater Spirit. And the name is Chirithy!" it corrected loudly. "As a matter of fact, I was made to be your partner for your mission, as well as your teacher in the way of using the Keyblade!"

"Hold on, hold on!" Guthrie stopped him in a hushed tone. "First of all, my aunt is asleep, so keep your voice down. Secondly, Keyblade? What are you talking about?"

"Do I have to spell it out for you? You are chosen by the Keyblade, and are chosen to fulfill the duty that was made so long ago!"

These accusations were bewildering Guthrie. He stood up on the opposite side of the bed from Chirithy, while the spirit leapt onto it. "Again, hold on. I don't know what the heck is going on. And I have no idea what you are talking about. First of all, what Keyblade chose me?" On cue, as he waved his arms at his question, a gust of light came. He was startled as a Keyblade appeared in his hand. "What... How did...?"

"That's your Keyblade, Follow the Wind," Chirithy explained. "Didn't you just have a dream involving many trials you had to take before you woke up?"

"Yeah, I- Hang on, how do you know that?!" Guthrie demanded.

"Because I sensed it. As a Dream Eater, I am able to peak into your dreams. Plus, it was really how I came to be. Your trials also awakened me to become your partner!"

Guthrie leaned back on the wall behind him and slid to the ground. This was seriously a lot to take in. He had no idea what to make of this. True, his life wasn't normal, especially in the past few years, but this was clearly something he could not comprehend all in one night.

"So, my mom's stories about the Keyblade wielders... were real?" Guthrie asked.

"Oh, yeah. Your mother's stories about the ancient unions of Keyblade wielders were real," Chirithy replied. "You may not know this, but your family is pretty special. You have no idea of your great ancestor, do you?"

"My ancestor?" Guthrie asked, looking up at Chirithy nearing his side of the bed.

"You got it! You see, one of your ancestors was... She was..." The small Dream Eater trailed off from there. "Huh? That's strange. I can't seem to remember." Hearing that made Guthrie anime-fell.

"What do you mean you don't remember?!" he asked in a whispered tone.

"Hmm... I guess I was asleep for too long, I can't remember much about the history of Keyblades. But I do remember one thing; her care even led to loving someone before the Keyblade War took her away from this life. But her legacy still continues on, for she gave birth to new life."

"You mean... she had a child before the battle?"

"Indeed... Wait, was it a she?" Cue another small anime-fall. "In any case, your ancestor knew that one day, one of her descendants would be chosen to fulfill the task of protecting the light with the power of the Keyblade. To overcome darkness, to push away the emptiness that intends to consume all. And boy, you are that chosen person."

Guthrie looked down at his Keyblade, placing it in both hands. "Why me? I'm not that special," he asked. "In fact, I don't think I'm capable of fulfilling such a task."

"Don't go doubting yourself!" Chirithy barked. "You have a strong heart and a caring one at that! You like to help people out with their problems, whether it is a physical task or one that requires a little 'heart-to-heart' treatment. Now, you have a chance to do so much more than that."

The newly made Keyblade wielder looked at the Dream Eater in slight suspicion. "How do you know so much about me?"

"Because I am connected to you. Not only do I sense your dreams, but as I was born, I was given the rundown of your life. I know all about your life, Guthrie."

"In that case, you know why I don't think I'm right for this task. I may seem kind and caring, but I also know that I do have darkness in my heart. I have felt rage and hatred. Those feelings almost consumed me two years ago, but it diminished after that day... after finding out..."

"I'm not saying you're perfect, Guthrie; I'm saying you are chosen for this task," Chirithy corrected. "True, your road was a tough one, but you overcame, and you still continue to go along a path of light."

"But it was solely based off of regret!" Guthrie exclaimed. "I can't erase what had happened, I know that much. I want to help others out, as many as I can, so that if I see enough smiling faces, I might start to forgive myself for what I did. That's not a path of light; I haven't overcome anything." He half-heartedly tossed his Keyblade away from him.

Chirithy watched as Guthrie tucked himself into a ball, slightly irritated that he was so hung up on his past. At the same time, it couldn't help but feel sorry for the young man. "If you want to find a way to forgive yourself, then fulfilling your duty will do just that," the spirit told Guthrie, causing him to look up. "There's this girl who was reborn in another world. She has been given a second chance in life, regardless of the fact that she sorta didn't have a life beforehand."

"Huh?" Guthrie questioned, confused.

The Dream Eater began to pace back and forth on the bed. "Never mind that. What matters is that she is on a path of light, but people from her past, along with the dark forces within that world, want to destroy her. Her life is important, much more than you think. She has a role to fulfill in the future, but she needs to develop herself in many ways."

"What do you mean?" Guthrie asked, standing up.

"You'll find out when you meet her. For now, you are given this assignment; find the girl in the other world and be her guardian."

"I'm... going to be this girl's guardian?"

"Bingo. And I bet that by finding and protecting her, you will find a path that will lead you to the light and smiles that you are searching for."

Guthrie looked up at his ceiling, wondering. He was chosen by the Keyblade to find a girl in another world, and a special one at that. Still, a part of him felt like this was some sort of setup for him to hook up with a girl, like how his aunt kept doing.

' _No. I'm sure that isn't it,_ ' he thought to himself. ' _I'm just jumping to conclusions. But even so, for me to become a Keyblade wielder and to travel to another world?_ ' Sure, he had done some traveling and he had trained in the best sword-combat schools around, but a task like that did seem a bit much for him. Not only that, but he wanted to take care of his aunt here. ' _Still, would this benefit me, like Chirithy said?_ '

"Guthrie, go with him," said a woman's voice. Guthrie and Chirithy turned to see a woman with short brown hair, eyes like Guthrie's, wearing a light blue night gown.

"Aunt Sinopa!" the boy identified. "S-Sorry about all this. I can explain all of this..."

"You don't have to. I heard everything," Sinopa interrupted, looking at Chirithy, then back at her nephew again. "So I guess this means you'll be leaving again, aren't you?"

"Hold on! I didn't say I was gonna leave! I still have to help out here. I need to help you and-"

"There's no need. I know why you want to stay, but trust me. I can take care of myself. You need to move on."

Guthrie thought otherwise. "But..."

Sinopa walked around the bed to Guthrie, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Guthrie, you need to forgive yourself, and move on," she told him. "I know you feel guilty to what happened to my husband, but that's in the past. You should go, and fulfill your role as your new companion instructed you."

Guthrie looked down. Even his own aunt wanted him to go. He wasn't so sure about it. In truth, she was right about it all. He felt guilty for everything that happened in the past and wanted to stay in this town, with his aunt, to keep helping out everyone until he could feel like he could go on. Yet at the same time, he wanted to go. He wanted to see if this would help him overcome his past. Based on all the things told to him from Chirithy, he knew that this was an important role. And at the same time, he was given the opportunity to go to another world. That was something he did feel intrigued about when he was younger, during the days when his mother told the stories about the Keyblade wielders.

Considering he wasn't making a decision quite as quickly as she hoped, Sinopa asked, "What was it that your mother always told you?" Guthrie looked up at her. "She always said something to you when you left home, or when you were trying to make a decision. Do you know what it was?"

Of course he knew what it was. It was practically his catchphrase, his way of living. He placed his hand over his heart, closed his eyes, and listened to the beats it made. He thought about what that said to him.

After a moment, he opened his eyes, and looked up at his aunt. "It says, 'I should follow the path given to me'." Sinopa smiled and nodded in response.

Guthrie turned to Chirithy. "Let me just get myself packed up for the trip."

"Great! I'm glad you made the right decision!" the Dream Eater answered, leaping up and down in joy.

Moments later, Guthrie was fully dressed in his attire, a backpack on him. "So, how are we gonna go to that world?" he asked Chirithy.

"You'll open it up for us," it answered. "Go on and grab your Keyblade." As Guthrie went over and grabbed his weapon, his partner added, "By the way, you can summon or dismiss your Keyblade at will. You have the power to do so."

"You're gonna have to teach me all kinds of things about how to use this thing." Guthrie raised the Keyblade.

"I'll put your through the basics on how to use it, as well as how it connects to your vambrace." Chirithy replied.

Guthrie looked to the golden filigree vambrace he had on his arm. He noticed the topaz on it was sparkling. "This has a connection to the Keyblade?" he asked.

"In the style of combat I'll be teaching you, it has an important connection to it," Chirithy answered. "Now go ahead and raise your weapon. I'll guide you through with my powers."

As Sinopa watched from the sidelines, Guthrie did as he was told, raising Follow the Wind and pointing the tip in front of him. Chirithy hopped in front of him and waved his stubby hands upwards. Suddenly, the Keyblade glowed brightly, and a beam of energy shot forward. It almost hit the wall, but the energy stopped and expanded out, forming a portal.

"Whoa!" Guthrie gasped, looking at the portal ahead of him.

"Let's go!" Chirithy declared. "Onward to the new world and your mission!"

Guthrie lowered his Keyblade, turning to his aunt. "Take care of yourself, Guthrie," she told him. "Know that I love you as much as your parents did."

"Thanks," Guthrie nodded. "I'll be back, someday. For now, I'll listen to my mother's words, and continue on." Sinopa nodded in response to this.

He looked to his Keyblade, wondering how to dismiss it, like Chirithy said. Suddenly, the weapon just vanished in a gust of shining energy. "Well, that's one problem solved." He stepped forward with Chirithy and walked straight through the portal, vanishing from sight.

* * *

 _ ***END OF FLASHBACK***_

Guthrie finished his tale, looking to the vast sea beyond. "Imagine my surprise to find out I was in a world filled with pirates," he continued. "Still, I had to adapt, and Chirithy did teach me the ways of using the Keyblade. I met old man Cricket and his monkey-like friends, who would keep an eye out for any girls that were unusual to them. But I guess I didn't need that, since you arrived on the scene. And part of a pirate crew, no less."

"Believe me. I was better off a pirate than a marine," Xion pointed out. "Do you realize just just how crappy and corruptive the marines are? The ones on the island I arrived on in the East Blue were bullying the townsfolk into joining them!"

"Sounds like a guy filled with darkness," Chirithy stated. "Guess I was right. Xion was pursued by the darkness intending to destroy her."

"You certainly have your work cut out for you," Robin stated. "Demon-san has joined a group of pirates that have a tendency of getting themselves into all kinds of trouble."

"And you joined them, too?" Guthrie added to Robin, who only giggled in response.

"But that doesn't matter, does it?" Chirithy asked. "The fact is that we finally found you, so now Guthrie will fulfill his role as a guardian for you!"

"I already told you, I haven't officially made the decision."

"But you have to! You already decided before that you would become her guardian!"

"But I didn't say I would be a pirate! There's a fine difference between the two roles!"

"She joined the group, so it should be okay!"

Guthrie turned away from Chirithy, folding his arms in resentment. "Look, I won't make any immediate decisions," he stated, turning to Xion. "Tell me, how long until you guys need to leave the island?"

"Until we find out from Cricket about how we can get to the Sky Island," she answered.

' _That won't be an immediate task, that's for sure,_ ' Guthrie assumed. ' _So I guess that will give me some time to think about whether to join them or not._ '

"By the way, you said that you decided to come here based on your mother's words," Robin noted. "I'm curious as to what those words were."

"Well, it was something that she said the Keyblade wielders of old always said," he answered. Turning to her and Xion, he placed a hand on his chest. "'May your heart be your guiding key'."

"May your heart be your guiding key?" Robin echoed.

"Yep. Basically, just do whatever your heart feels is right. Right now, my heart says that I shouldn't make any decisions just yet, but to get to know what kind of crew your pirate group is, and then make a decision."

"I can see reason in that," Xion stated. "Although, I'm not sure if I can work with that phrase."

"Why's that?" Guthrie asked, confused.

"Cause I don't have a heart. Apparently, I never had one. At least, that's what I remember from my fragmented past."

"That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard." His strong replied startled the 'heartless' girl. "Everyone has a heart, whether they believe it or not. If you can feel something, whether it is happiness, sadness, or anger, that just shows you have a heart. And I can see you clearly have all those feelings."

Xion was taken aback as Guthrie walked away from her and Robin, only to see Shoujou kick Masira from the behind, high in the sky, while Chopper called in that Cricket was awake.

"A strange boy, wouldn't you agree?" Robin asked.

"Yeah... strange guy," Xion replied slowly. What he said was blunt, but it did give her something to think about. Was he right? Did having feelings like those really meant she had a heart? Shaking the thoughts out of her head, she and Robin followed everyone in the half building.

"Sorry I caused you trouble. I thought you were more idiots after the gold," Cricket apologized, smoking some cigarette.

Hearing the 'g' word got a certain navigator excited. "What?! You have gold bullion?!"

"Don't go after it," Usopp said.

Ignoring the question and whispered, Cricket asked, "What did you want to ask me?"

"Old man, we wanna go to the sky island! Please tell us how to get there!" Luffy replied.

"... Sky island?" Rather than answering, the chestnut head questioned the boy. Next thing they all knew, he started laughing. "You guys believe in the sky island?"

Nami was about to hit him, when Usopp stopped her, reminding her he was still a patient.

"There's no sky island, old man?!" Luffy questioned.

"... No one knows. I know somebody who said there was," Cricket informed, smoking. "But everyone called him a legendary big liar. His family became a laughing stock forever." Luffy turned to Usopp, who instantly denied his assumption. "There's an old story most North Blue people know. 'Noland the Liar' is the one." Luffy turned to Usopp again.

"Again it's not me!" Usopp defended once more. "He's got a different name, right?!"

"Let me guess, he's a resident liar on your crew?" Guthrie assumed.

"How did you know?" Xion sarcastically asked.

Sanji seemed to have realized something. "Come to think of it, Noland's name is, if I'm not mistaken, Montblanc Noland. Could it be you're Noland's-?"

Nami caught on to his assumption. "A descendant?! Could this place be the island in that story?"

Cricket simply scoffed. "He's my granddad's granddad's granddad's... He's my distant ancestor... what a nuisance. I doubt there's a drop of his blood in my body. Although the Montblanc family was driven out of the country then, and has kept a low profile, people continue to denounce our family to this day. But no one in the family hates him."

"Why?" Chopper asked.

"Because Noland was an extraordinarily honest person."

Hearing that confused the pirates. "But in that picture book..." Nami spoke.

"Noland's last excuse in the picture book is like this. 'That's right! The mountain of gold sank in the sea!'" he continued to explain. "A stupid-looking face is drawn in this book... but he shed many tears and died a regrettable death. He was sure the island he reached was Jaya when he found the wreckage of a city of gold. He felt there was no way it was just an illusion. Noland insisted that the ruins had submerged due to crustal movements, but everyone thought he was making excuses out of desperation. Noland was executed in front of the laughing onlookers and only the name 'Liar' remained."

"Oh, I see! You're looking for the city of gold on the seabed in order to clear the Montblanc's family name!" Usopp exclaimed.

"Don't be silly!" Cricket shouted, shooting at the Straw Hat sniper.

"Usopp!" Chopper screamed in worry.

Luckily, the long-nose pirate avoided the headshot. "I thought I'd die..."

"How honest my distant ancestor was or how great of an explorer he was has nothing to do with me! Can you understand how a kid would feel being laughed at by strangers just because he's the descendant of such an idiot?! That's how I grew up!" Everyone went silent at those words. "But... yeah, over the past 400 years, many set sail to restore our family's honor, though all of them went missing. I was ashamed of such a family. I ran away from home and became a pirate."

"Oh? You're a pirate too?" Luffy asked.

"It's not that I wanted to become a pirate; I just wanted to escape from Noland's spell. And over time, I came to have my own pirate group. At long last, I entered the Grand Line and I spent all my time on adventures. But ten years ago, my ship ended up here by accident. Strangely enough, only I, who continued to hate the Montblanc family and Noland the most, made it here. The island didn't have a city of gold, just as the picture book said. As I stood on the cape of the island, I felt it was destiny. There was no place to escape to. After deciding to settle my family matter, my crew all left me. If the gold's there, that's fine. If it's not there, that's fine too. It's not that I wanted to prove his innocence. This is a duel with the man who threw a wrench into my life. I want to set the record straight before I die."

At this point, everyone couldn't help but either sympathize or respect the former pirate before them. In fact, Usopp is already shedding tears for him.

"Then, what about them? Why are those monkeys here?" Luffy asked, referring to Masira and Shojo.

"There must've been an exciting drama spoken with the fists of men committing to exploring the seabed," Usopp said.

"Apparently they're fans of the picture book," Guthrie answered for Cricket.

"Fans?!"

"That's quite a simple connection," Nami stated with a sweat drop.

"I think it was five or six years ago. They heard a rumor about me and barged in on me," Cricket explained. "They said, 'We think Noland's gold definitely exists!' In the dark, cold sea, you're haunted by a deeper solitude. I just dived and searched alone everyday. They just came into my life and became my underlings without my permission, and they romp around. Simple-minded idiots like them... make me feel relieved, to be honest. Do you understand?"

' _I think I know that feeling,_ ' Xion thought, secretly looking at her crew.

"I do," Usopp replied at Cricket's question, trembling slightly as he silently cried. "Yeah, real comrades give each other strength and..."

"Well, putting the story about the monkeys aside-" Luffy tried to change the topic that he had brought up.

"Then don't ask! Clench your teeth!" The sniper of a pirate hit the rubber man on the head.

All that gave him in return was being tossed across the room by Luffy. "Like I said, I want to go to the sky island, old man!"

"He sure is impatient," Guthrie muttered.

"Yeah, I did tell you, right? The witness to the sky island is that Noland the Liar. If you have anything to do with him, you'll be laughed at like me." Cricket took out what seemed like a logbook and looked through it.

"What?! He's been to the sky island, too?!" Luffy asked.

"Unfortunately, this doesn't say he did, but..."

"A logbook?! Could it be Noland's?!" Nami asked.

"You're right!" Chirithy spoke, holding up a small banner with a circle in the middle.

Cricket tossed the navigator the book. "Read around there."

Nami looked at it intensely. "Amazing... A logbook from over 400 years ago... 'Sea Ephemeris Year 1120, June 21st, Sunny. We left Villa, a cheerful town. Following the Log Pose, we should be heading east-northeast from the harbor. We got a rare item from a bumboat that we came across during the day. It's a ski-like one-person boat called a waver.'" At this point, Luffy, Usopp and Chopper walked closer to Nami to hear more. "'It's a mysterious boat that can generate wind and move even on a day without wind. It seems that you need to get the hang of it to ride, and I couldn't manage it. Right now, it's become a perfect toy for my crew.'" Nami stopped reading and seemed really excited. "No way! What is this? I want it!"

"Never mind that! Keep reading!" those who were enjoying the story demanded.

Chirithy also listened in on the journal and seemed to be in deep thought. ' _A boat that can move on its own? And it sounds pretty fast too... Have I heard of something like that?_ '

"'The power for this seems to be a product found only on the sky island,'" Nami continued to read. "'And I hear that many peculiar things like that exist in the sky. Speaking of the sky island, one of my explorer friends showed me a live skyfish.'" Sanji looked her way as soon as he heard of a species of fish he hasn't heard before. "'I was surprised at how strange the fish looked. To our ship, it's still an unknown area, but as a sailor, I'd like to go to the sea in the sky one day. Montblanc Noland.'" The journal entry ended there. "He said 'the sea in the sky'!"

"It's just like Robin said!" Luffy recalled.

"And it sounds like the sky island was a pretty normal thing for people back then!" Usopp added.

"So it really does exist!" Chopper exclaimed.

"Alright!" all three of the Straw Hat simpleton cheered.

By this time, Cricket already left his home. Chirithy was still wondering where he had heard of the boat Nami just read about, in which Guthrie noticed.

"What's wrong, Chirithy?" he asked.

"Hmm... Maybe I'm imagining it?" it said, ignoring the question.

Xion sighed and went into meditating position. ' _I should train for the challenge tonight. Best prepare myself for whatever Voice has in store for me._ '


	5. The South Bird and the Brawl

**Coral: Well this is without a doubt the longest chapter I've written for this series. The reason for its length is because I really want to put in the fight in Mock Town in this chapter, as well as putting in the search for the South Bird. But other than that, folks, do enjoy this story.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or Kingdom Hearts. I do not own Guthrie and, soon to join, Allen. Well, actually I kind of do own him.**

* * *

 ** _*OPENING*_**

 _ **Let's fly to the sky**  
(The sun rises as Merry sails across the ocean)_  
 _ **There's not a single cloud in the sky  
** (All the current Straw Hats watched the sun rises, Luffy on the figurehead)_

 _ **Let's fly to the sky. (It's time to fly around) Catch the perfect breeze for you  
** (The camera faces the sky as the title appears on the screen) **  
Paint the sky with (Let's go to the wonder world) imagination that no one's ever seen  
** (Camera faces back to the Going Merry as everyone went on with their peaceful business)_

 _ **OH! OH! Even if it's too dazzling (Come on)  
** (Xion looked up and saw Marines ahead of them and warned everyone) **  
OH! OH! under the sun**_  
 _(They all prepared themselves for battle. Marines fired cannon balls at them) **  
OH! OH! If it's you, you can make it! Throw away your pride and FLY!  
** (Luffy, Zoro and Sanji sent the cannons back at them. Usopp fired a cannon of their own with Xion, in her Wisdom Form, unleashed Triple Firaga at them, followed by a Thundaga, clearing their path)_

 _ **Everyday is plain!** **  
Real talent makes the world go round**_  
 _(Going Merry sailed through the smoke. Everyone looked content as they enjoyed the sea breeze) **  
Deceit won't work anymore.  
** (Scene changed to Jaya in Mock Town, as camera faced each of the Blackbeard Pirates.) **  
Mayday, the red light is stopping you too  
** (Scene changed to Cricket's home, showing Cricket with Masira and Shojo side by side.)_

 _ **Lend me an ear! And I'm gonna stick on my RAP! Wussup!  
** (Guthrie fights against some pirates and Heartless. One tried to sneak up on him and Chirithy knocked it away.)_  
 _ **"From tomorrow on I'll get serious!"- seriously cut it out with excuses like that  
** (Allen danced as he dodged the attacks of the pirates and attacked them at the same time)_  
 _ **Increase your money with your dream! Time is money like NASDAQ!  
** (The Straw Hats looked at Cricket's gold and searched for the South Bird) **  
When will you do it boy? It's now or never man! This is the moment, right?  
** (The crew then arrived at the Knock Up Stream and went to the skies.)_

 _ **Everybody put ya hands in the air and clap ya hands like this like that**_  
 _ **Clap ya hands everybody! Everybody just clap ya hands!  
** (Scenes quickly changed to different scenes. Xion and Guthrie crossed blades, Luffy's one-hit KO on Bellamy, the group trying to catch the South Bird, then finally their first encounter with the Shandia Warriors)_

 _ **Let's fly to the sky (It's time to fly around) Catch the perfect breeze for you  
** (The Straw Hat Pirates arrived on Skypiea and were approached by the White Berets and fought them) **  
Paint the sky with (Let's go to the wonder world) imagination that no one's ever seen  
** (Scene changed to the group in the Upper Yard fighting against Heartless, Shandians and Priests)_

 _ **OH! OH! Even if it's too dazzling (Come on)  
** (Scene changed to Xion fighting against a blonde Organization XIII member with knives and lightning magic) **  
OH! OH! under the sun  
** (Changed to Guthrie and Allen teaming up against the Nobodies)_ _ **  
OH! OH! If it's you, you can make it! Throw away your pride and FLY!  
** (Changed to Luffy battling Enel. In a flash of light, opening ends with all of Straw Hats on Merry, facing the camera)_

* * *

 _Last time:_

 _By this time, Cricket already left his home. Chirithy was still wondering where he had heard of the boat Nami just read about, in which Guthrie noticed._

 _"What's wrong, Chirithy?" he asked._

 _"Hmm... Maybe I'm imagining it?" it said, ignoring the question._

 _Xion sighed and went into meditating position. '_ I should train for the challenge tonight. Best prepare myself for whatever Voice has in store for me.'

* * *

Xion was training in her Dive to the Heart. Since the crew were going to go to Sky Island, she had Voice call up some aerial Heartless. At the same time, she also had to improve on her Wisdom Form. At the same time though...

"You know, I just realized you didn't give me any detail about tonight's challenge. Aren't you going to at least give me a hint about the challenge?"

' _ **If I tell you that, there won't be a challenge,**_ ' Voice replied.

"True as is, can't I be allowed to be prepared?"

' _ **Not possible.**_ '

Xion ended the conversation at that and continued to take down the Heartless.

After the training exercise, Xion was out of her Wisdom Form. "That should do it."

' _ **If I may ask, shouldn't you ask Cricket about the seashells? Or Guthrie for that matter,**_ ' Voice pointed out.

"True, but at the same time, I feel like I'll get better answers if I go to the Sky Island, where the shells are from."

' _ **Well, I suppose that's true.**_ ' If Voice had a face, Xion could clearly see that he was smirking.

"Well, I should be getting back by now. Don't know how long I've been here, but I do know that it might be night time right now."

' _ **Very well. Good luck with the challenge, Xion.**_ ' With that, the girl returned to the real world.

* * *

When Xion returned to the real world, she was greeted by the sight of her friends partying around.

"Damn, this rum tastes great today!" she heard Cricket happily state.

"Hey, eat up!" Sanji said. "There's a whole course of pike and more to come!"

"What happened while I was training?" Xion asked Robin, who sat next to her with the book on her lap.

"It's dinner time," she simply answered, taking a sip of her glass of beer.

"I can see that."

"Well, it's about time you woke up," Guthrie said. "I find it surprising how you stayed asleep from all this."

He was hit on the head by Chirithy, though it wasn't at all that painful. "That's rude, Guthrie! Besides, I'm sure it took a lot of practice to ignore all this noise."

"If only you knew," Xion muttered.

"Well, I guess I wouldn't blame you. Your friends are all too rowdy for my taste."

Robin turned to the next page of Noland's log. "'The skull's right eye is where I saw the gold'," came Cricket's voice. Everyone ceased the party and turned to him. "Bottled with tears, those were the last words Noland wrote."

"And it was also that very same day that he was executed," the male Keyblade wielder added, hearing the story and quote once before.

"That's right. And even after coming here to Jaya, I still don't understand what he meant by that. The skull's right eye... Maybe it's the name of a city that used to be here. Or maybe it was a metaphor for his own inevitable death. The blank pages that follow tell us nothing. That's why we dive! We see a dream! There, on the ocean floor!"

"That's right!" Masira agreed.

The party continued on for the night. Cricket continued to talk about his ancestor's adventures in Jaya, especially about the golden bell and the weird birds they had encountered. From the sound of it, Cricket actually did like Noland rather than hating him. The chestnut-head diver even showed one of the golden bells he found during his dive.

"But it doesn't prove the City of Gold was there," Shojo said. "You could find something like that lying in any old ruin."

"But it does prove that civilization was there," Robin pointed out. "Ingots were designed to divide up gold into gram masses. Meaning there was also trade and commerce there."

"Right. And the call of that strange bird," Cricket continued, as he gestured to Masira to reveal a golden statue of some bird, amazing the pirates.

"Golden bells and birds. They must be symbols of the ancient Jaya," Sanji assumed.

Cricket smoked a cigarette. "I'm not sure. But this might have been a part of an ancient molding. This is a South Bird and it lives right here on this island."

"And it has a weird call?" Luffy asked.

"Yeah. Just like it says in the log book."

"South Birds have been used on ships since ancient times to-" For some reason, Masira cut himself off here. He and his brother then looked at each other and seemed quite pale. The next thing the crew knew, the monkeys and Cricket all screamed.

"OH DAMN!"

"What?! What's wrong?!" Xion asked.

"This is bad! You guys have to go to the forest! The forest in the south!" Cricket said in a frantic tone.

"What are you talking about Ossan? You lost it?" Luffy questioned.

"You need to capture one of these birds! Right now!"

"How come? What's up?" Usopp asked, for they, including Guthrie and Chirithy, were all still confused with the panicked tone.

"Listen carefully. Tomorrow, you guys are going to sail to the Knock-Up Stream! It's directly south of this cape. So how are you going to get there?!"

"We'll just sail our ship straight there," Luffy answered, like it was the most obvious thing to do, which would've been true.

"This is the Grand Line! The moment you stray from your course, you'll have no idea which direction is which!"

Nami and Xion realized what he meant. "I see! Since we're going to be sailing towards an area of water instead of an island, we won't have anything to tell us the right way," the navigator explained.

"The log pose can only point us to where an island is; it can't tell us which was is north, south, east or west," the vice captain added. "But wait, then how are we going to get there?"

"You make use of this bird's special trait! Certain species of animals have an accurate internal sense of direction. You can use that to determine your position," Cricket answered.

Luffy laughed at the info. "So that would make Zoro less evolved than an animal!"

"You're the last person who can say that!" the swordsman said.

"The South Bird is the most extreme example of this. No matter how large a stretch of land is or how much the sea tosses an turns, its body will remain pointed in a single direction." Hearing that made Guthrie and Chirithy realize something. "Without that bird, you'll never be able to set out from here. And as for sky island, you'll miss your one chance to get there!"

Hearing that part shocked them, especially Luffy, Usopp and Chopper, while Guthrie and his Dream Eater raised their hand to try to speak.

"WHY ARE YOU TELLING US THIS NOW?!" the captain demanded, as most of them tried to scramble out the door.

"Hey, guys," Guthrie called, only to still be ignored.

"There's no time! You have to go!" Cricket told them.

"It's the middle of the night and you want us to go tramping around in the woods?!" Usopp questioned.

Cricket tossed them three nets. "You forgot these! We're gonna get to work on your beat-up ship! In hindsight, we really shouldn't have had that party!"

"How can you say that now?!" Usopp continued, as Sanji and Zoro dragged him into the woods with everyone else following.

"Now listen! You have until morning to catch a South Bird and bring it back here!"

"Let's go with them!" Chirithy told Guthrie, as he somehow managed to drag the boy along.

"Hey! Don't drag me! Where do you have the strength for situations like this?!" he questioned.

* * *

And so, the pirates all ventured deep into the forest. As they walked, Xion had to deal with a cowering Ussop behind her.

"It's so scary here..." he muttered.

"Let go of me, you idiot!" Xion barked. "If you didn't want to come, then go back to the ship!"

"My stomach is still full from eating so much," Chopper moaned as he rubbed his belly. "I couldn't catch a bird, even if I tried."

"Don't worry, we're not gonna catch a bird," Guthrie assured the little doctor. "I already befriended one."

"Say what?" Nami questioned in surprise, as everyone turned to him. "You mean you actually befriended one of those birds?"

"Well, that takes care of that," Luffy grinned childishly. "Then there was no need to panic, right?"

"Let's see if he's willing to join us first," Guthrie responded. "It is his home, so he wouldn't want to leave that quickly." Guthrie looked to the sky and formed his hands around his mouth. "KYOOOOOOH!" he called in a deeper voice.

"What kind of noise was that?" Ussop questioned in a frightened tone.

"That's a peculiar sound, just like the old man said," Sanji muttered. "Is that really what the South Bird sounds like?"

Guthrie nodded in response, and called out the same sound again. He did this two more times, and waited.

"Kyooooh!" an echoing, deep-toned bird cry called back from the distance.

"Hey! That sounded peculiar!" Everyone except Guthrie, Chirithy and the girls realized.

"Oh, really? You think?!" Nami questioned.

Just then, something flew down from the tops of the trees, landing right on top of Guthrie's head. It looked like the same bird as they saw from the golden statue, with light green and wine red feathers. "Kyooooh!"

"Holy crap! It's a South Bird!" Ussop exclaimed.

"It's really as ridiculous-looking as that statue," Zoro stated.

"Wow! I can't believe how easy that was!" Chopper stated in amazement. "Guthrie, you're amazing!"

"I only met him yesterday, after saving him from a swarm of Heartless here. Since then, he and I became good buddies," the male Keyblade wielder explained.

"There are Heartless in these woods?" Xion questioned.

"Yeah. A group of Heartless, plus a bunch of oversized insects. Apparently, one of the South Birds here is pretty mischievous and likes controlling the creatures in these woods, making them attack anyone who comes in, mainly me."

The South Bird was saying something. However, most of the group couldn't understand him. Most of them.

"Say what?!" Chopper exclaimed.

"The South Bird is using the Heartless to attack all the other birds?!" Xion questioned.

"Hey, what are you talking about?" Guthrie asked. "Can you understand what this South Bird is saying?"

"I am part-animal," the pirate doctor explained.

"Well, that's helpful. So that mischievous South Bird's controlling the Heartless? That's definitely something I can't walk away from." He looked up at the South Bird on his head. "Hey, if we go find and beat some sense into this bird, can you guide us south of this island? There's something there we need to get to."

The South Bird didn't, or rather couldn't, turn to him, but his eyes looked down at him for a few seconds. Then he cawed.

"Guess that's a yes," Xion understood.

"Right! Let's kick this bird's ass!" Luffy promptly stated, punching his fist into his hand.

"This particular South Bird doesn't like to stay in one place, so let's split up and search for it," Guthrie told them.

"Who made you captain?"

"No one. It's just the logical thing to work with. Let's split into three, since you, your chef and swordsman have the nets."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Sanji agreed.

"Then let's do it," Zoro stated.

"Right!" the three men cheered, clanking their nets together above them.

' _Voice... can it be that the challenge...?_ ' Xion thought.

' _ **Yes. Catch the South Bird that's been causing trouble in the forest,**_ ' he answered in her head.

' _Just catch it?_ '

' ** _That's all you have to do. Without harming it, that is. Good luck with that. You'll need it._** '

With the plan set, they all divided into different paths. Sanji was with Ussop and Nami, while Luffy had Chopper, Xion, and Chirithy, who wanted to stay by her side due to it being his and Guthrie's duty to guard her. That left Zoro with Robin, Guthrie, and the South Bird perched on the male Keyblade wielder's head. As they split, Xion warned Robin and Guthrie to keep an eye on Zoro, for reason he, Chirithy and the South Bird didn't know.

* * *

 _ ***LATER, WITH TEAM ZORO, ROBIN, GUTHRIE AND THE SOUTH BIRD***_

As they ventured on through the forest, the group heard the sound of screaming.

"I heard screaming," Robin calmly said.

"Leave them," Zoro simply told her.

Just when Guthrie was about to state how heartless he was, when Zoro suddenly took out his sword and cut something. That something landed on the ground with a thud.

"Is that a centipede?" Guthrie asked instead.

"It's really creepy," Zoro stated.

"You really shouldn't go around killing everything we come across," Robin told him. "The poor things."

"It's his fault for coming after me."

"You sure it wasn't just a coincidence that it fell on you?" Guthrie asked. The South Bird on his head cawed in agreement.

Zoro ignored him and started to walk.

"Zoro," the archeologist called.

He stopped in his tracks. "What?"

"That's the way we just came from." He paled at those words.

The group then heard a familiar call.

"That has to be the bird!" Guthrie said. The South Bird on his head nodded in agreement.

"This way," Robin went on ahead. "Watch out for that quagmire."

"Oi! Hold on-!" Zoro stepped into the quagmire he was just told to not step in.

"Did she not just tell you to not step there?!" the male Keyblade wielder shouted.

While Zoro was desperately trying to get out of the quicksand, Guthrie heard the sound of the South Bird's cry. He then turned to see a bunch of Heartless, composed of Neoshadows, Flower Riders, and Search Ghosts appearing before them.

"Heartless!" Robin gasped, crossing her arms in preparation.

Guthrie waved a hand in front of her. "Make sure Zoro gets out of the quicksand. I'll handle these," he told her.

Robin nodded in understanding and doubled back to Zoro as Guthrie summoned his Keyblade. The South Bird flew off of Guthrie's hand, going to a higher branch to avoid the fight.

Quickly, he charged in as a Neoshadow shot forward with brandished claws. Guthrie halted and took a step back to avoid the swing, then swing in with his own Keyblade, striking it hard into the trees.

The Searcher Ghosts had their eyes glowing like search lights. Guthrie saw this and leapt out of their sight. He then came around to the side, and unleashed an Ice Dash on the both of them, causing them to collide with one another and destroy each other.

He then sensed the Neoshadow he fought before regain itself as the Flower Riders flew in with their spinning flowers. Guthrie ducked underneath the flying enemies, but the other Neoshadow met him and slashed him, causing him to fall backwards.

The injured Neoshadow pounced upon him, along with its brethren. Guthrie struggled to keep them off of him. Irritated at the weight, he shouted, "GET OFF!" and unleashing an Aeroga that sent the group tumbling into the air, along with the Flower Riders. Guthrie shot upwards at the enemies, striking the two closest, being the Neoshadows, and defeated them. The male chosen of the Keyblade then finished off the Flower Riders with a Strike Raid that struck them all. With that, they were defeated.

Guthrie landed on the ground, sighing in relief as he used a Cura spell to heal himself. He turned to see Robin and Zoro approach him from behind.

"That was quite impressive," Robin commended. "Nowhere near as good as Demon-san, but impressive."

"Hey, what's with that dark vapor going into your vambrace?" Zoro asked, pointing at his arm piece.

The gem was glowing as the dark vapors of the Heartless were being absorbed into it. "Oh, that?" Guthrie asked. "Yeah, I'm still figuring it out."

Once all the dark vapors were absorbed, the gem shined brighter and a silver medal popped out. Guthrie caught it and examined it.

"Sonic Blade. Looks like a pretty decent attack," he stated. "Maybe I should add it."

The two watched as Guthrie flipped his Keyblade upside down and tapped the medallion on the chain. Instantly, the chain glowed to reveal a circling of medals, floating in midair.

"What is that?" Robin asked in an amazed tone.

"These are all the attacks I can use that are attached to the Keyblade," he answered. "According to Chirithy, I am able to attach five Ability Medals to it, at my experience. But with more practice and connecting with my Keyblade and I can go up to having eight Ability Medals attached to it."

Guthrie placed the medal he obtained within the ring of medals, having it aligned with the other four. With that set, he tapped the medallion again, and the medals shined as they returned to the Keyblade.

"That doesn't even look close to what Xion does with her powers," Zoro stated. "She just uses her magic and whatnot whenever she wants to. And she always learns more thanks to all that meditation she does when she does that dive into her heart thing."

"I don't know how she does her style, but this is what Chirithy taught me," Guthrie told him. "See, every time I fight a being with darkness in them, like the Heartless, my Power Brace, as Chirithy called it, absorbs that darkness, and transforms it into light. It can then morph that energy into a medal for me. The more darkness it gains from a battle, the stronger the medal it will be. They come in bronze, silver, and gold medals. Chirithy said there were other colored ones, but they were special, and would be explained to me when I get one.

"So you absorb the darkness of the Heartless and they become medals?" Robin questioned.

"Right, although it's not just Heartless. If I fight an enemy who has darkness in their heart, my Power Brace can absorb that after a battle, and it becomes power."

"Does that mean you can suck all the darkness from someone's heart with that thing?" Zoro asked, pointing at the vambrace.

"No. There will always be that darkness that will never leave a person's heart like that. But that's why we have to use words and actions to free them of that remaining darkness. Though there are some that are too stubborn to listen or see." He was reminded himself of the muscular man he fought before in Mock Town, Jesus Burgess. He clearly had darkness in him that he would not let up.

"Let's keep looking for the South Bird controlling the Heartless," Robin said, walking past Guthrie. Turning back to him, she added, "Though I would love to hear more of what Chirithy has taught you so far. I would like to learn a little bit more about you, too, while we're at it."

Guthrie blushed once more at the words she said and the sly grin she was giving him.

"Uh, sure. But let's keep an eye out, okay?" he suggested, following the archeologist.

Zoro, who was behind, started walking, when the South Bird traveling with them settled himself on top of his head. "Hey, what the-?!" he gasped.

"Kyoh Kyoooh!" the South bird stated, making himself comfortable on his head.

"Looks like the South Bird likes you," Robin chuckled.

"Get off of me!" Zoro barked, waving his hand at the bird, who flew just above him until he stopped. Soon as he did that, he settled back down on his head again.

Guthrie chuckled at this. Robin noticed this was the first time she caught him laughing slightly. He barely shown any signs of happiness or joy since they met him, the one time being him with her during the party. She was curious as to what his story was.

* * *

 _ ***MEANWHILE***_

"I got it!" With Luffy, Chopper, Xion and Chirithy, the four were looking around for the troublesome South Bird. Along the way... "Look, Chopper! It's Atlas!" Luffy showed the man-reindeer the beetle he just caught.

"Atlas?" Chopper asked.

"Yeah! Atlas and Hercules are admired by people all over the world!" The young pirate was impressed as he took in the information. "Don't you know? You can't catch it by the head!"

"One Piece or that, which is cooler?!"

"Ah! That's too hard!"

"You two do realize we have a bird to find, right?!" Chirithy questioned.

"Just leave them be," Xion told the talking Dream Eater, keeping an eye and ear out for their target. "I learned so long ago that no matter what you say, mainly to Luffy, not only will he not listen, when it comes to it, he will actually get the important job done. Mostly."

"When you put it that way, I guess there's nothing to worry about then..."

"Run!" they faintly heard. Looking over to the source, they saw the two boys running their way, away from bees.

"What the hell did you two do to be chased by bees?!" Xion demanded with shark teeth, as she and Chirithy ran away from them.

"Don't just run with us, Xion! Use your magic!" Luffy ordered.

"I can't! I do that, and I won't be able to get the Dream Eater recipe!"

"Huh?! There's one here?!" he, Chopper and Chirithy gasped.

"Of course there is! And you, Chirithy! How can you not know if there is or isn't a Dream Eater here?! I assumed you all can sense each other!"

"Well as you can see, we can't! At least, not as a recipe!" the little one shouted.

' _Voice! Can I at least use my special attacks?!_ ' Xion mentally asked her mentor.

' ** _I didn't say you couldn't,_** ' he answered. ' _ **And likewise, though I did say you cannot harm the South Bird as you try to capture it, that doesn't mean you can't attack the Heartless.**_ '

' _You say that now?!_ '

"In that case, **Firaga!** " Xion used her fire magic to burn down all the bees.

"Hey! What happened to 'no magic'?!" the three with her demanded.

"Apparently just because I can't use harm the South Bird to catch it doesn't mean I can't use it for other things like killing the bugs."

"Oh. Then nice one, Xion!" Luffy cheered.

"As expected from the girl Guthrie has to protect!" Chirithy followed.

"Cool~!" Chopper squealed.

"Do not just be amazed!" the girl scolded.

Just then, the four heard a 'thud'. They turned and saw a bee hive right next to them. The bees flew out and chased after them. The next thing they knew, weird monkeys started to swing by. Powerwilds to be exact.

"Oh you've got to be kidding me!" Xion shouted, as they all started to run away from them.

As they ran, she and Chopper heard something. They turned and saw a South Bird looking at them with a smug look.

"Guys! It's that bird!" the reindeer shouted. "That bird's the one controlling the Heartless and sending these bugs at us!"

"Which means he's the target! Go, Xion!" Luffy ordered.

"After we get these bugs and Heartless off our tail!" the Keyblade wielder shouted. "And don't make me do all the work! You're the captain! Start acting like one!"

* * *

 _ ***LATER***_

After getting rid of the Powerwilds and the bees, the evil South Bird sent a group of overgrown mantises after Luffy's group. Said group of bugs were quite skilled in their blades, they cut down part of the forest. Not only that, but Creeper Plants and Dire Plants appeared and either shot roots or fired seeds at them.

With Sanji's group, he, Nami and Usopp had to deal with a bunch of huge ladybugs, rolling down the hill to them. Nami hid behind Sanji as the cook kicked the bugs away. Poor Usopp was defenseless and was getting hit bug after bug.

With Zoro's group, they were facing off against an army of oversized crickets and some Shadows. The three-sword-style swordsman and the male Keyblade wielder easily defeated them all, but more kept coming, much to their annoyance.

As more time passes, the three groups were either being assaulted by bugs or Heartless controlled by the wicked South Bird. Eventually, the three groups reunited somewhere in the middle of the forest.

"No luck. We didn't see a single one," Zoro sighed.

"We saw one," Luffy spoke up. "But there were a lot of bugs, plants and monkeys so we couldn't get close."

"I get the bugs, but plants and monkeys?" Guthrie questioned.

"Heartless," Chirithy and Xion answered, panting along with Chopper.

"We mostly ran the whole time," the reindeer said.

"Damn. Ten of us and we pull a big zero? Get it together, guys!" Usopp said.

"You too," Sanji added to the long-nose pirate, stating that he shouldn't really be talking.

Guthrie's South Bird cawed a few times in annoyance.

"'Don't forget about me,' he said," Xion translated.

"I understand Chopper, but how can you understand birds?" her fellow Keyblade wielder asked.

"Chopper-kun taught me some time ago."

Guthrie had a bit of a confused and disbelief look on his face. He then shrugged it off and decided to believe her.

Nami went on her knees. "I can't run anymore..."

Just then, they heard the sound of a South Bird above their heads. Looking up, they saw it was the one specific bird they were looking for. Said bird seemed to be laughing as it was dancing around on the tree branch it was on.

"'You'll never catch me! STUUUPID!'" Chopper translated.

"What was that?! You came here just to gloat?!" Usopp shouted. He took out his slingshot and aimed it at the bird. "I'll shoot you down!"

All of a sudden, arms came out of its wings and wrapped around the bird. Another arm came out from the tree branch and tossed it down to the pirates. Everyone was dumbfounded at how easy it actually was to catch it.

"If I can see it," Robin simply shrugged.

' ** _And with that, the challenge is complete,_** ' Voice said in Xion's head. Light appeared before the group and the next Dream Eater recipe appeared before them.

"Huh?! There was a Dream Eater recipe here on this island?!" Nami gasped.

"Xion, why didn't you say something?!" Usopp asked.

"I would've, if we weren't in a rush to get this troublemaker of a South Bird," the vice-captain said. "Besides, the challenge to get it had to do with finding the bird. What's done is done."

"Challenge?" Guthrie and Chirithy questioned.

"We have a lot to talk about if you're going to join this crew."

* * *

The group returned to Cricket's place. When they returned, they were met with a horrible sight.

"Cricket!"

"Masira!"

"Shojo!"

Guthrie, Usopp and Sanji cried out the names as they ran over to the fallen, bloody and bruised trio.

"What the hell happened?!" Nami questioned.

"Shit, who did this?!" Sanji demanded as he brought Shojo back to shore. "Oi! Give me a hand!" Chopper went to help Sanji get Shojo back to shore.

"AAHHHH!" Usopp screamed. "The Going Merry! How did this happen?! Who did this to her, dammit?! Who?!" Said vessel had the front part taken down somehow.

"Sor...ry..." Cricket weakly apologized.

"Cricket/Ossan!" Guthrie, Xion and Luffy looked down and saw the guy regaining his conscious.

"I'm really sorry. We were here, but we couldn't do anything!" he apologized, to their confusion. "But still... There's still time. We still have time to strengthen your ship...!" As Cricket tried to force himself up, Xion held him back.

"Calm down, Cricket!" she told him.

"She's right! First tell us what happened!" Luffy said.

"Nah. It's nothing. Don't worry about it. It doesn't matter anymore," the chestnut-head man told him. "More importantly, did you-?" He looked up and saw two South Birds with them: one on Zoro's head, much to the swordsman's annoyance, and one tied up in his hand.

"That's it. Great job catching, not one, but two South Bird. They'll do fine." Cricket let out a light cough.

"Luffy!" Nami called. Everyone turned to her. The next words that came out gave them all a shock. "The gold was stolen!"

Everyone stood frozen in shock at those words.

"It... It doesn't matter. Forget about it," Cricket told them. "More importantly, you guys-"

"What doesn't matter?!" Usopp interrupted.

"Cricket, you spent ten years diving for those gold!" Guthrie said, just as mad as Usopp that Cricket just waved off his problem like that. "You can't just-!"

"Shut up!" Cricket snapped, silencing Guthrie. "It doesn't matter. This is our problem, got that? The three of us of the Saruyama Alliance have our duties. Your ship is in no shape to sail right now. We have to finish by morning. We're not giving up on your voyage! Listen, I swear I'll get you to Sky Island."

"Oi, Luffy," Zoro called. Everyone looked over to him and saw him pointing at a mark painted in what's left of Cricket's house.

"That's Bellamy's mark," Nami recognized.

"Need a hand?"

"Nope. I'll be fine," Luffy turned down Zoro's offer.

Hearing that made Nami panic a bit. "No, Luffy! Don't do anything stupid! There's only three hours left until we set sail!"

The pirate captain ignored her words. "If I follow the coast, will I reach that town from this afternoon?" he asked Robin.

"Yes. You'll reach it," she answered.

"I'm coming with you," Guthrie said. "I want to at least see those guys pay for what they did to Cricket and the others."

"Wait a second. Where are you going?!" Cricket demanded Luffy and Guthrie, both who were walking away. "You'd better not be messing in our business! Do you know who you're going-?!" He was caught off at the sight of a sheathed sword offered to him.

"If you want to stop them, you'll have to use this," Zoro advised.

The chestnut-head mad looked at the straw hat-wearing pirate. "K-Kid..."

Luffy cracked his knuckles. "I'll be back by dawn."

"No, you'll be back earlier than that," Xion corrected. "I'm coming with you guys. It'll be faster to fly directly over there than following the coast. Besides, I want in on this as well."

"I'm coming too! Someone has to watch over the Keyblade wielders! Especially Guthrie!" Chirithy said.

"What do you mean 'especially Guthrie'?" his owner asked, only to be ignored.

"Sure thing," Luffy told them.

Seeing there was no way to talk them out of the situation, Nami sighed and shook her head. "Fine. But three hours, guys. If you delay us anymore than that, we will miss our chance to Sky Island!"

"Like I said, we will be done in less than three hours," Xion promised. " **Summon: Komory Bat, Ryu Dragon.** " Fang and Wyvern appeared out of their cards. "Fang will carry Luffy. Guthrie, Chirithy, we're taking Wyvern. Time to make our return trip to Mock Town." They all nodded and gave their master and her friends a ride over to Mock Town.

* * *

About a half hour worth of flying later, the three humans and three Dream Eaters arrived in Mock Town. As soon as they landed, Xion returned her Dream Eaters to their cards.

"We're here," Luffy said. "If they all want to fight, you all take care of his crew. Bellamy is mine."

"What are you saying? I should be fighting-!"

"Don't, Guthrie," Xion interrupted the male Keyblade wielder, much to his confusion. "You can't stop Luffy once he made up his mind. Especially if it's to people he can't forgive. People who hurts his friends, toys with them, ridicules them. Mostly the mastermind, the leader of that group of people. Which is why I suggest, unless if you want to waste more of our time and get in a fight against him to see who fights Bellamy, you should do as he says."

That was the first time Guthrie and Chirithy heard Xion say something quite... scary. They didn't expect her to say anything like that. And likewise, neither of them were sure if she was telling the truth, especially not of what they knew about Luffy during the short amount of time they knew him. After all, the guy didn't seem like a... revenge type of person or the type of guy who would take anything seriously. The two weren't even sure if he can fight.

"BELLAMY! WHERE ARE YOU?!" they suddenly heard him shout. Looking up, they saw the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates on top of one of the buildings.

"When did he get there?!" Chirithy gasped in shock.

"Come on!" Xion led the two over to the building Luffy stood on top of. Once they arrived, the saw a blonde guy with a scar on his head walking out of a pub.

"We were just talking about you," he said to Luffy. "You want something."

"You know what we want!" Guthrie called, having the guy look at him, Chirithy and Xion. "Are you Bellamy?"

A huge, evil smile formed on his face. "And if I am?"

"Give back the Diamond-head Ossan's gold!" Luffy demanded, answering in his place.

"Gold?" Bellamy laughed at the demand. "The stuff that old man Cricket had?" All of a sudden, his legs became springs and he shot up to the building Luffy was on. "I ain't giving it back! I stole it from him, as a pirate. And being a pirate yourself, you shouldn't have any objections to that."

"But I do," Luffy corrected, confusing his soon-to-be opponent. "Those guys are my friends. So I'm stealing it back."

Hearing that made Bellamy laugh. "I gotta ask you... Can you fight? Do you know how to throw a punch?! What's a coward like you gonna do to me?!" Luffy stayed silent at his words. "If you're just gonna stand there scared like you did this afternoon, you ain't gonna steal anything from me! Coward!"

"He's underestimating him. That's bad," Xion said.

"Then we should've left this matter alone?" Chirithy questioned.

"I knew I should've been the one to fight him," Guthrie said.

"You're mistaken." The two turned to Xion with questioned looks. "It's Bellamy who's underestimating his opponent."

"This afternoon was different," Luffy simply told him.

That answer made Bellamy laugh. "Oh really? What is different? Then this time I'll make sure that you'll never give me any of that insolence again!" He used his devil fruit powers and shot himself off the building, forcing it to break down. "I'll have this finish in an instant! **Spring Snip!** " Moments before he could hit the part of building Luffy was on, the latter pirate jumped off the piece to a different building. Bellamy landed back on the ground and sprung himself back to his target. Luffy just barely dodged the hit, which resulted in him hanging on to the edge.

"Luffy!" Chirithy cried out in worry.

"Damn it... What is he doing?!" Guthrie questioned.

"What did that brat come here for?" they heard one of Bellamy's crew mates, Sarquiss, asked with mockery.

"Let's just watch Bellamy's show," another member said, as a few of them laughed in amusement.

"He sure talked big, but now it's like he's running scared!"

Hearing all this slowly made Xion a bit angry.

"I see nothing different," Bellamy said. "Nothing's changed from this afternoon!" He shot to Luffy once more, who just got back up on the roof and just avoided the hit. "I thought you said you were going to take back the gold from me! All you do is talk shit! You can't even stand up and face me! All you can do is stand there and ramble on about your dreams! What kind of man does that make you?!" He shot to Luffy again and this time, he actually landed a hit on him. This caused him to crash onto the floor.

Bellamy landed on the roof top of one of the other buildings. "You can struggle all you want. There's no escaping my Bane Bane ability."

"You finished already?! What a shame!" Sarquiss mocked.

"There's no way that brat could be a match for Bellamy," one of the crew members said. Everyone else of Bellamy's crew laughed in agreement.

"There's a difference between being weak and holding back," Xion spoke, causing them all to stop laughing and looked her way.

"What are you saying? Didn't you see that kid get beat by our captain?" Sarquiss asked, his smirk not leaving his face.

He was proven wrong as Luffy got back up on his feet.

"I'm not ready for you to kick it just yet!" Bellamy called. "I'm just about to start the real show!" His legs turned back into springs. " **Spring Hopper!** " He sprung off the roof. Unlike before, he started to spring from one flat surface to another, picking up speed and momentum. He started to go so fast, it was hard to keep track of where he was.

"Bellamy disappeared!" one of the townsfolk shouted.

"It's the same thing he used against Roshio the Executioner!" another said.

Hearing that got Xion's attention. "What do you mean?" she asked.

As he explained the previous situation to her, Bellamy arrogantly mocked the Saruyama Alliance. As he took in every word, Luffy's face grew darker and darker within the second. "Do I know how to throw a punch?" he spoke, raising and cracking his fist.

"Finish him off, Bellamy! Fools like him don't deserve to be a pirate!" Sarquiss said. Their crew mates laughed at those words as if it was a fact.

"FAREWELL, STRAW HAT!" Bellamy shouted, zooming over to Luffy.

The next thing they knew, Bellamy crashed on the ground, with a fish imprinted on his cheek, his eyes blank and blood coming out of his mouth and some on his struck cheek. The rest of the pirates, Guthrie and Chirithy looked at the scene in shock as blood- Bellamy's blood- dripped from Luffy's fist.

"Oi, quit it with the jokes, Bellamy," Sarquiss spoke first. "Come on. You're just playing around, right? Say something!" All he got was silence from the knock-out pirate. "Oi, Bellamy! Quit with the games! Stand up and give us the usual show, Bellamy! You're the B55,000,000 Big-Time Rookie, remember?!" All of a sudden his face paled as if he had remembered something. One of the piece of paper in one of his crew mates' hand was blown out and hit his face. Sarquiss took a good look at it and paled even further.

"The Ossan's gold," Luffy spoke. "Give it back." Most of the pirates ran in fear.

Later, Luffy, Xion, and Guthrie walked out of the pub with three sacks of gold on their back and Chirithy following them.

"That's definitely all of them!" the little one said. "Now we're sure to make it in time!"

"Then let's not waste anymore time," Xion said, taking out her flying Dream Eater cards.

"I think it's best if we run the rest of the way back," Guthrie suggested. "If we fly across the water and lose one of the gold somehow, it'll be hard to get it back."

"When you put it that way, I guess that's true."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

As the quartet walked away, they heard Sarquiss shout out, "Hey, you! Come back here! You hear me?! You stupid bunch of runts! I'm talking to you!" Luffy, Xion and Guthrie ignored the temper tantrum he was making, while Chirithy looked back, worried.

"I'll get them! I won't be beaten by some pretend pirate!" Sarquiss barked, attempting to charge forward while being restrained by his crew members. "What's wrong! Where are you going?!"

Luffy stopped in his tracks, surprising the enemies behind them. The other three looked to him as he echoed, "Where am I going?" He raised his bloody fist, scaring Sarquiss as he was worried he might punch him, too. Instead, he changed his fist into a finger pointing to the sky and answered, "The sky."

Sarquiss was shocked at this, but he grimaced as he rose to his feet, throwing off the arms trying to grab ahold of him. "Well, guess what?! Nothing ain't up there except your head! You hear me?!"

"Can't you just acknowledge that your captain's been beaten by our captain and be done with it?" Xion asked, turning full around to Sarquiss. "It's over. Luffy defeated Bellamy. We won back Cricket's gold. What part of that do you not understand?"

"Shut up! That was a lucky shot, and that's all!" he barked. "I'm a real pirate, not like you! If you think you won now, how about I show YOU that you guys ain't nothing but a bunch of dreamers! Me versus you, bitch!"

Xion glared at Sarquiss. Luffy looked to Xion, wondering if she was gonna accept the battle.

"There was no need for any foul language," Guthrie muttered. "We need to head back before it's too late. That guy is not worth the fight."

"Maybe so..." Xion muttered, putting the sack down and walking forward. "But he needs to be taught a lesson. Luffy, I know we need to hurry, but is it okay for me to fight him?"

"Yeah. Go right ahead," Luffy answered.

Guthrie was surprised. ' _Why would she go into a battle that wasn't worth it?_ ' he wondered.

Sarquiss pulled out his large kukri-like sword, while Xion produced her Keyblade, holding it at the ready. Sarquiss gritted his teeth as he noticed it. She uses a weapon like that kid behind her. He looked to Guthrie behind Xion, who was concerned about how long this would take. ' _That kid was definitely something the last time I saw him use a weapon like that!_ ' Sarquiss reminisced.

* * *

 _ ***FLASHBACK***_

A stomp on the planked road drew everyone's attention, including Sarquiss and Lily.

"Wiiihahaha!" A large brute of a man by the name of Jesus Burgess was laughing hardily as he stood in front of the short young man, who was Guthrie. "Hey, kid! I heard you were pretty tough stuff against a few of the townsfolk, here!" Burgess barked, pointing at Guthrie. "Well, my captain has taken an interest in you, along with that weapon you use, so I'm gonna beat you up, and make you join our crew!"

"For the record, I didn't want to start those fights, nor do I want to start a fight with you," Guthrie defended. "I can tell you aren't a person of good intentions, so I won't join you, even if you forced me to."

"Is that so? Well, too bad!" Burgess retorted, leaping at him. "You're either joining us or you die here!" Guthrie leapt backwards, avoiding a grappling hug from the brute, and summoning his Keyblade at the ready.

The battle was over in less than five minutes. Burgess had the advantage in brute strength, but that was all. Guthrie was nimble, smarter, and had the powers of the Keyblade at his side. It was totally shocking, nonetheless, too see the battle end with Burgess slamming through the walls of one of the buildings after a powerful Ice Dash to the chest. Guthrie stood there, glaring at the unconscious Burgess. Sarquiss was baffled by the amount of strength he had. ' _How could a runt like that beat up someone that big and strong? Who the heck was he?_ ' he wondered.

* * *

 _ ***END OF FLASHBACK***_

' _I know that kid was tough, but that doesn't mean I can't beat this girl!_ ' Sarquiss finished thinking. ' _Besides, I got a secret weapon that even Bellamy doesn't know!_ '

He laughed hardily as he thrust his hand into the air. In a puff of smoke, he summoned a darker version of one of Xion's own Dream Eaters; a Fin Fatale.

"A Dream Eater?" Xion gasped.

"Hey, that looks like the one fish Xion has!" Luffy pointed out.

"Another Nightmare wielder," Guthrie muttered.

' _So he's like Haxel so long ago,_ ' Xion recounted, seeing Sarquiss's mischievous grin. She then pulled out one of her her Dream Eater cards. " **Summon: Fin Fatale!** " Torpedo, her own Fin Fatale, appeared in front of her, ready to go.

"You got to be kidding me?!" Sarquiss barked in shock. "I had a plan to shock you with this thing and you end up having one, too?!"

"If you're gonna complain about every darn thing, then it'll just make it easier for me," Xion sassed, readying her Keyblade.

The two Fin Fatales launched at one another, smacking their tails at one another. Xion followed in after, while Sarquiss started twirling his blade like a windmill. Both blades clashed with one another, with Xion's face calm while the latter was angry. Their blades clashed with one another like crazy, but Xion wasn't using any of her magic or techniques.

Sarquiss doubled back from Xion, then charged back in, spinning like a buzz saw. "Big Chop!" he roared.

"Collision Magnet!" Xion unleashed a magnetic force that caught the spinning enemy then, with a swing of her Keyblade, sent Sarquiss over her, slamming into the ground behind her.

"Sarquiss!" one of the female members cried out.

"Damn! That girl's good!" a male pirate added.

"And that fish of her's is beating his!" another male pirate noticed, watching Torpedo blasting Sarquiss's Nightmare away with a blast of water.

Sarquiss got back up, panting from the painful experience, while seeing his Dream Eater flip back up again next to him. He glared at Xion and Torpedo, who stood still, waiting.

"You... fake pirate!" he growled, getting to his feet.

"Says the guy who's on the ground, right now," Xion retorted.

"Shut up! You're just a stupid dreamer who has her head in the clouds! You people make me sick! You disrespect Bellamy, and you disrespect everyone by calling yourselves pirates!"

Xion was irritated by Sarquiss's words, indicated by how she tightened her grip on her Keyblade. "You're the one who gives pirates a bad name. You mocked anyone who dreams big and who dares to go the distance. You abused my crew. You hurt Cricket and those two monkey-brained idiots with him. You talk like dreams won't come true for anyone. You're just sad."

Sarquiss's eyes dilated in fury. "I WON'T BE RIDICULED BY SOME FRAUD LIKE YOU! I'LL CHOP YOU INTO SHREADS!"

At this, his Nightmare became a dark ball of energy as it fused itself with Sarquiss. He emanated a dark aura that rippled like water. A horn grew onto his forehead, much like the his Nightmare. The back of his coat suddenly produced the symbol of a Dream Eater Nightmare.

Everyone in the vicinity was startled by the vice captain's transformation, some were even afraid. Well... except for one certain pirate.

"Whoa! That is so cool!" Luffy exclaimed. "He grew a horn on his head!"

"You're easily amused, aren't you?" Chirithy questioned in a disbelieving manner.

' _How in the heck did he do that?!_ ' Guthrie questioned in amazement. ' _Did his rage cause his Nightmare to fuse with him?_ '

"Hahahahahaha!" Sarquiss laughed maliciously. "Oh, this power! It's so incredible! Not even Bellamy can even stand to defeat me, let alone a fraud like you!"

' _This is like what happened to Haxel,_ ' Xion recalled, readying herself for what's next to come.

Sarquiss threw his kukri blade forward, which became encased in the black, watery aura. He leapt onto it and rode it at Xion like a flying surfboard. Torpedo unleashed a blast of water, but Sarquiss avoided it effortlessly. Xion put her guard up as Sarquiss struck her. The force of the attack caused her to fall backwards, slamming onto the ground as he flew over her.

"What's wrong?! Can't you fight back?!" he sassed, twirling around and shooting at Xion again, who started to rise back up. She got hit hard in the back and fell to the ground once more.

"Xion!" Luffy called out.

"She's in deep trouble," Chirithy pointed out in worry. He turned to his master. "Guthrie, you have to go in and protect her!"

Guthrie didn't respond immediately to this. He knew it would be disrespectful to interfere with a battle she started.

Xion got back up again, with Sarquiss coming at her once more. Fortunately, Torpedo dove through the floorboards of the road, like a ghostly fish, and shot out underneath Sarquiss's surfboard blade, knocking him away from Xion.

"Thanks," the Keyblade wielder thanked her partner.

"That doesn't change a thing, you know!" Sarquiss barked, drawing her attention back as he continued to try and attack her. "You may have some fish to help you, but that's all! You're completely useless, just like your dreams! Your captain and that swordsman didn't even put up a fight before! That fool, Cricket, was too weak to stop us! And it's all because you people are just two-bit dreamers who believe in some dumb fairy tale that doesn't exist! Your dreams make you weak and nothing more!"

Throughout this speech, Xion kept avoiding the attacks he delivered, but her anger grew and grew as he kept talking. Finally, she snarled, "Don't you dare talk down about other peoples dreams! It's one thing to mock me, but I can't stand someone calling people close to me weak because of what they believe in!"

She stopped dodging and started charging head on with Sarquiss, only to end with her being overpowered and sent flying backwards. She got back up again and angrily pursued him, unleashing a Strike Raid. Sarquiss parried her Keyblade by flipping his blade up and spinning it in front of him. He then slashed Xion hard with it, causing her to reel back in pain, a part of her coat ripped.

Luffy, Chirithy and Guthrie both were shocked at the attack, while some of the Bellamy Pirates were shifting from being terrified of Sarquiss to rooting for him.

Xion panted as she raised herself up, doubling over a bit as she panted hard, angrily glaring up at the smirking Sarquiss, and charged at him once more, summoning her Keyblade into her hand as she roared in fury. Xion unleashed all her rage onto him, trying to take him down. She was like a rampaging bull, furious from what he said. She wasn't even aware of Torpedo anymore, who became afraid of its master. Every time she tried to strike him, Sarquiss would overpower her, and she would fall backwards from it. The more she failed to defeat him, the more frustrated she gotten.

"It's all over for you!" Sarquiss barked at a roaring Xion, slamming her hard in the gut and sending her crashing into a wall, breaking barrels in front of it. She fell down to the ground, barely able to rise back up again.

"Xion, get up!" Luffy called out. "What are you doing?! You're way stronger than him!"

"Guthrie, I don't know what's stopping you, but you have to save her, now!" Chirithy barked, looking up at him. "Xion's life is at risk. You're her guardian, so do something! Go in there! Fight that guy! Anything!"

Guthrie watched Xion as she struggled to get up, fumbling back down to the ground again.

"Hahahaha! Look at you! You're so black and blue, that I can't tell you from that dumb coat you wear!" Sarquiss chortled, causing an uproar of laughter from the other pirates. Xion gritted her teeth, infuriated that he was overpowering her so easily, and she wasn't sure why.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Xion's eyes became startled as she recognized Guthrie's voice call out to her. "Are you really this stupid?! Letting a guy like that win your anger over with mere words?!"

"Guthrie, why are you insulting her?!" Chirithy gasped.

"That might be a bad idea!" Luffy told him, worried she might attack him. Guthrie completely ignored the two.

"You want to show him that you are the stronger one? That your dreams and beliefs are far superior than anything he has? All you're doing is letting him get under your skin and make you act like a angry, blind rhino," he continued. "You cannot win a fight like that! You know you are better than this! You're a pirate who sticks to her beliefs and dreams, right? All he is is a bully, and bullies are all talk, and not bite!"

"How dare you!" Sarquiss growled at Guthrie. "As soon as I'm done pummeling her, you're next, Key boy!"

"That's if you can actually beat her. If you ask me, I've seen enough that she cares for the people close to her. Sure, she's a bit reckless at times, but her heart's in the right place. I'm certain that if she stops being so enraged like this and think straight, she'll easily beat you, no problem!"

"Oh really?!" Sarquiss questioned, and he laughed once more. "If you ask me, she's doing a pretty horrible job at it! In fact, I bet that punch your captain made to Bellamy was merely a fluke! All those damn dreams and beliefs you people have are what weigh you down and make you weak!"

"You're damn wrong about that." Sarquiss stopped laughing as he heard Xion's voice. There was a glittering of lights as she used a healing spell on herself, removing the injuries she had. "The dreams and beliefs we have don't make us weak," she muttered. Her face shown a calmer anger than before. "It's the thing that makes us strong!"

Luffy grinned at the turnabout of Xion's emotions. Guthrie nodded in approval.

"So you still have the ability to talk like that?!" Sarquiss questioned. "Look at yourself! You can't even touch me! You claim all of that's your strength, then it's pretty darn lousy! I'll put an end to you, right now!"

He started spinning his blade beneath his feet, becoming a spinning, razor sharp disc of black water. " **Riptide Chop**!" he roared, shooting at Xion on the spinning weapon. Xion charged forward, her face calmer than before. Her friends were wondering if she was still thinking straight, while the Bellamy Pirates were rooting for him to slice her in half.

" **Link Action,** " she muttered. Her Fin Fatale suddenly jumped out of the planks as though jumping out of water, her hand on its head. " **Water Blaster**!" Xion grabbed onto her spirit like a gun before her, aiming at Sarquiss. Just when he was close enough to land a hit on her, Torpedo fired a powerful stream of water at him, pushing him back.

"What the-?!" he tried to speak, which proved impossible with some of the water getting in his mouth.

A couple minutes later, the soak fest came to a stop. Sarquiss stood back on his feet.

"Damn you..." he panted, catching his breath. "I'll make you pay for-!"

" **Thunder Dash!** " Xion encased herself in a coat of electricity and shot herself hard into Sarquiss's gut. The attack was so hard, Sarquiss coughed up blood. His blade clattered to the ground as he shot past his fellow pirates, breaking through a few walls, and falling backwards, his legs sprawled out of the hole he was in. His eyes were blank and the dark aura surrounding him and his weapon before vanished. He was finished.

Xion landed neatly on the ground, brushing herself off as she looked at her defeated opponent. His fellow pirates were baffled at the state he was in, and at how easily she defeated him after all the abuse she took before. Luffy chuckled eagerly, while Chirithy looked up at Guthrie, amazed.

' _He managed to calm her rage with his words. That was some fine work, Guthrie,_ ' he thought. ' _You're not the kind of guardian I thought you were, at first, but I bet you will do just fine, as long as you're keeping an eye on Xion._ '

The Starlight Blade called back Torpedo to its card and walked back to her friends and captain, while the other pirates were helping out Sarquiss.

"Let's go. We wasted too much time as it was," Xion ordered.

"Right! We need to bring back pop's gold," Luffy agreed. With that, they ran along the coast to Cricket's house.

Xion turned to Guthrie, who turned back at her gaze. "Thanks, Guthrie. If you hadn't spoken up like you did, I would've been beaten for sure," she thanked.

"Let me ask you something, Xion," Guthrie responded. "I know you have that reindeer kid as your doctor, but do you have anyone in your crew who takes care of your mental stability?"

"I... don't think so," Xion answered.

"What the heck are you talking about?" Luffy asked, confused.

"I'm talking about a ship's counselor," Guthrie explained. "A crew needs to be mentally sane if they are able to take on all kind of ordeals. These seas can not only be tough to you, physically, but if your mind is not stable, it can cause confusion and disorder among crew members."

"That might not be a bad idea to have," Xion agreed, looking at a certain captain of her's. "Considering the annoyance some of our crew members give us, we might need someone to talk to us and help us calm down so we won't try to kill one another. Besides, it could also help for future fights so we won't let our anger get the best of us."

"Well that's settles it!" Chirithy stated, hopping onto Guthrie's shoulder. "Guthrie can be your ship's counselor!"

Luffy and Xion looked to the two of them, one in confusion and one smiling.

"Why would we need one? I don't need one," Luffy stated.

"Yeah, but people, like me, need it when dealing with YOUR childish behavior!" Xion barked, terrifying Luffy as she turned back to Guthrie again. "While we're still talking about it, are you really any good? I mean, I know you were able to get me back to sanity in the middle of that fight, but still..."

"I am pretty good with words and I have studied a lot in counseling and psychology from the past two years," Guthrie stated.

"Not only that, but he's helped out so many people back in his home town," Chirithy added. "He's always found a way to put a smile back on anyone's face, at any age and any time. At least, that's what I remember from the memories given to me. Either way, he has to be a member of your crew, so he can also be your guardian. So let him join!"

"Then what do you say, Guthrie?" Xion asked her fellow Keyblade wielder. "Would you mind joining a bunch of pirates?"

Guthrie paused for a moment, thinking things through. Finally, he answered, "Being a pirate means I'll be in constant danger, and based on what you guys said before, you're certainly ones who look for all kinds of adventures. Even so, it might help me out, as well as fulfill the duty that was forced onto me. I'll let my heart be my guiding key, and it says, 'okay'. So let's do it. I'll be your ship's counselor."

"Alright! We have a new member of our crew!" Luffy cheered, jumping in joy with a fist pump.

"Let's hurry back and tell everyone the good news," Xion told him. "Plus, we need to make it back before the sun comes up!" With that, the group shot along the shore of the island, back to Cricket's place and the Going Merry.


	6. To the Sky

**Coral: To those of you who kept wondering about Xion's updated bounty, or if her bounty got updated, the answer is within this very chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or Kingdom Hearts. I do not own Guthrie and, soon to join, Allen. Well, actually I kind of do own him.**

* * *

 ** _*OPENING*_**

 _ **Let's fly to the sky**  
(The sun rises as Merry sails across the ocean)_  
 _ **There's not a single cloud in the sky  
** (All the current Straw Hats watched the sun rises, Luffy on the figurehead)_

 _ **Let's fly to the sky. (It's time to fly around) Catch the perfect breeze for you  
** (The camera faces the sky as the title appears on the screen) **  
Paint the sky with (Let's go to the wonder world) imagination that no one's ever seen  
** (Camera faces back to the Going Merry as everyone went on with their peaceful business)_

 _ **OH! OH! Even if it's too dazzling (Come on)  
** (Xion looked up and saw Marines ahead of them and warned everyone) **  
OH! OH! under the sun**_  
 _(They all prepared themselves for battle. Marines fired cannon balls at them) **  
OH! OH! If it's you, you can make it! Throw away your pride and FLY!  
** (Luffy, Zoro and Sanji sent the cannons back at them. Usopp fired a cannon of their own with Xion, in her Wisdom Form, unleashed Triple Firaga at them, followed by a Thundaga, clearing their path)_

 _ **Everyday is plain!** **  
Real talent makes the world go round**_  
 _(Going Merry sailed through the smoke. Everyone looked content as they enjoyed the sea breeze) **  
Deceit won't work anymore.  
** (Scene changed to Jaya in Mock Town, as camera faced each of the Blackbeard Pirates.) **  
Mayday, the red light is stopping you too  
** (Scene changed to Cricket's home, showing Cricket with Masira and Shojo side by side.)_

 _ **Lend me an ear! And I'm gonna stick on my RAP! Wussup!  
** (Guthrie fights against some pirates and Heartless. One tried to sneak up on him and Chirithy knocked it away.)_  
 _ **"From tomorrow on I'll get serious!"- seriously cut it out with excuses like that  
** (Allen danced as he dodged the attacks of the pirates and attacked them at the same time)_  
 _ **Increase your money with your dream! Time is money like NASDAQ!  
** (The Straw Hats looked at Cricket's gold and searched for the South Bird) **  
When will you do it boy? It's now or never man! This is the moment, right?  
** (The crew then arrived at the Knock Up Stream and went to the skies.)_

 _ **Everybody put ya hands in the air and clap ya hands like this like that**_  
 _ **Clap ya hands everybody! Everybody just clap ya hands!  
** (Scenes quickly changed to different scenes. Xion and Guthrie crossed blades, Luffy's one-hit KO on Bellamy, the group trying to catch the South Bird, then finally their first encounter with the Shandia Warriors)_

 _ **Let's fly to the sky (It's time to fly around) Catch the perfect breeze for you  
** (The Straw Hat Pirates arrived on Skypiea and were approached by the White Berets and fought them) **  
Paint the sky with (Let's go to the wonder world) imagination that no one's ever seen  
** (Scene changed to the group in the Upper Yard fighting against Heartless, Shandians and Priests)_

 _ **OH! OH! Even if it's too dazzling (Come on)  
** (Scene changed to Xion fighting against a blonde Organization XIII member with knives and lightning magic) **  
OH! OH! under the sun  
** (Changed to Guthrie and Allen teaming up against the Nobodies)_ _ **  
OH! OH! If it's you, you can make it! Throw away your pride and FLY!  
** (Changed to Luffy battling Enel. In a flash of light, opening ends with all of Straw Hats on Merry, facing the camera)_

* * *

 _Last time:_

 _"Why would we need one? I don't need one," Luffy stated._

 _"Yeah, but people, like me, need it when dealing with YOUR childish behavior!" Xion barked, terrifying Luffy as she turned back to Guthrie again. "While we're still talking about it, are you really any good? I mean, I know you were able to get me back to sanity in the middle of that fight, but still..."_

 _"I am pretty good with words and I have studied a lot in counseling and psychology from the past two years," Guthrie stated._

 _"Not only that, but he's helped out so many people back in his home town," Chirithy added. "He's always found a way to put a smile back on anyone's face, at any age and any time. At least, that's what I remember from the memories given to me. Either way, he has to be a member of your crew, so he can also be your guardian. So let him join!"_

 _"Then what do you say, Guthrie?" Xion asked her fellow Keyblade wielder. "Would you mind joining a bunch of pirates?"_

 _Guthrie paused for a moment, thinking things through. Finally, he answered, "Being a pirate means I'll be in constant danger, and based on what you guys said before, you're certainly ones who look for all kinds of adventures. Even so, it might help me out, as well as fulfill the duty that was forced onto me. I'll let my heart be my guiding key, and it says, 'okay'. So let's do it. I'll be your ship's counselor."_

 _"Alright! We have a new member of our crew!" Luffy cheered, jumping in joy with a fist pump._

 _"Let's hurry back and tell everyone the good news," Xion told him. "Plus, we need to make it back before the sun comes up!" With that, the group shot along the shore of the island, back to Cricket's place and the Going Merry._

* * *

At Cricket's place, many of the Straw Hat Pirates and the Saruyama Alliance waited for the arrival of Luffy, Xion, Guthrie and Chirithy. It was morning and, strangely enough, only three of the four returned to them.

"What the hell is he doing?!" Nami demanded. "It's morning already! Morning! He promised to be back 46 minutes ago! We'll miss the current!" She turned to Xion, Guthrie and Chirithy. "You two were with him! What happened that made you separate?!"

"How should we know?! All we know is that he was right behind and the next thing we know, he was just gone!" the male Keyblade wielder explained.

"Knowing him, he must've saw something interesting and went to get a closer look," Xion guessed. "I can't believe I didn't think of that possibility."

"Well, you know what they say, 'First time for everything,'" Chirithy said.

Few seconds later, they heard a call. "OIII~!" Everyone turned to the source and saw their captain running to them.

"It's him! Great, he made it back!" Masira said in relief.

"I did it!" he called.

"Luffy, hurry up! We're past due to set sail!" Sanji called.

"Check it out!" As he ran closer to them, everyone saw he had something in one of his hands. "It's Hercules! It took me forever to find him!"

Seeing that made some of his crew jaw-drop with shark teeth in shock that that was the reason why he disappeared. "A KABUTO BEETLE?!" Nami questioned.

"YOU WENT TO FIND THAT?!" Usopp also questioned.

Luffy, unfazed by their looks and reactions, stopped in his tracks as he saw the new-and-improved Going Merry, who now had parts that seemed like chicken. "Whoa! That's awesome!"

"This is the Going Merry, Flying Model," Usopp introduced.

Hearing the word 'flying' got the straw-hat wearing boy all excited. "IT'LL FLY!"

"Yep~! They did it for us!" Usopp gestured to the Saruyama Alliance, who all posed. Luffy did the same pose. What he didn't notice, though, was a certain female approaching him with a murderous intent. Everyone else flinched at the look in her eyes, except the oblivious Luffy.

"Luffy~" The boy stopped laughing as he heard his name being called as such. He slowly turned and paled as he made eye contact with a bit too happy Xion, her Keyblade in hand. "I see you made it back later than you said you'd be back. Did you forget our number one priority after we get the gold back? You insolent... RUBBER BASTARD!" Next thing anyone knew, Xion was beating the crap out of her captain, which didn't take long.

"Okay. Now let's get sailing! We've wasted enough time as is!" Xion ordered, holding the beaten and bruised Luffy in her hands.

"A-Aye!" most of the group around her responded in fear.

"She's really scary," Guthrie whispered to Robin.

"Well, that's Demon-san," she simply replied.

* * *

The crew sailed south, where the Knock-Up Stream was said to be. The Saruyama Alliance took the lead, since they know where the spot is. As they sailed, Xion went to take care of the bad South Bird that they decided to bring along, just so it doesn't cause any more troubles for the other animals living in the forest. As for the good South Bird, whose name was Soula, he decided to be their compass, so to say. Guthrie and Chirithy were also on board, much to the Straw Hats' shock, until Luffy and Xion explained that he was a new addition to the crew.

"Listen up! It is now 7 AM! We'll probably arrive at our destination at around 11 AM!" Masira announced. "Just like Oyasan said, the location of the Knock-Up Stream is different every time! So we need to get there before it happens and determine its exact location!"

As Masira was giving instructions on what to do, Luffy was examining Soula. The said bird was feeling uncomfortable at Luffy's gaze as his head continued to point south. Ussop and Chopper joined Luffy as he twisted Soula's head, while he moaned uncomfortably.

"Watch this," Luffy told the two. He let go of Soula's head, and it instantly shifted back to pointing south. "See, he turned back again!"

"Strange, I've never seen a bird quite like it," Ussop muttered as Luffy laughed hysterically.

"He really can't face any way but south! He's just like a compass!" the captain chortled, while the bird cawed angrily.

"He said to knock it off!" Xion barked, whacking Luffy hard on the head and causing him to collapse. "Soula is willing to help us out, thanks to Guthrie, so don't fool around with him!"

"She does have a point there," Ussop muttered, staying away from her range.

"Yes, ma'am..." Luffy moaned, feeling the lump growing on his head.

"Jyoh, Jyoh!" Soula cawed.

"You're welcome," Xion answered, rubbing his beak.

"Xion-swan's so sexy when she's protecting that dumb bird," a certain love-sick cook swooned.

"Speaking of which, is the other South Bird secured?" Nami questioned.

"Yeah. Xion made sure to chain it down below deck, along with its beak, so it can't summon any Heartless," Chopper explained.

"That's a relief."

* * *

Inside Nami's room, Guthrie was pouring over the ship's logbooks, while Chirithy watched the porthole. The door above opened and Robin entered in, coming down the steps.

"Reading our navigator's logs?" the archeologist questioned.

"Pretty much. I'm making sure I'm caught up to speed on the adventures they've had, plus understanding any emotional traumas they might've had so far," Guthrie explained. "I've reached nearly the end of their adventures in the East Blue. So far, the only people who aren't in the crew yet are Chopper and you, Robin."

"You should know about me after the events at Whiskey Peak, if she put me down in them. Just to warn you, I was considered an enemy to this crew for a while. I even was considering Xion a threat to life due to wielding a Keyblade."

Guthrie looked up to her in shock. "You were an enemy? And found the Keyblade a threat?"

"I did, but not any more," the archeologist answered. "The Keyblade is a powerful tool and can cause destruction beyond comprehension if used in the wrong hands. However, I learned she wasn't misusing the Keyblade as I originally thought. Now the only question is how will you favor with the Keyblade?"

Guthrie summoned his own Keyblade, looking at it.

"I can't say for sure," he answered. "I never asked for it, and I'm not sure if I am capable of wielding such a powerful tool. For now, I'll just let my heart be my guiding key. Hopefully it will lead me on the path that is filled with joy for me and for others around me."

"You'll definitely walk the path of light!" Chirithy responded, hopping towards him. "I can guarantee you will not misuse the Keyblade whatsoever. You are Xion's guardian and a descendant of a gifted Keyblade master. You'll be fine."

' _At least, I think his ancestor is a Keyblade master,_ ' the Dream Eater then thought. ' _What am I saying? Of course she is! ... Or is it 'he'?_ '

"Let's hope so," Guthrie replied, putting his Keyblade away and going back to the logbook. "For now, I'll do whatever I can to make sure this crew Xion is part of is mentally stable."

"You'll find the crew is filled with multiple personalities. Just a fair warning," Robin chuckled, turning away. "I was gonna brew some coffee. Want some?"

"Yes please, with a little bit of cream," Guthrie answered. Robin understood and left him to do his research.

* * *

 _ ***A COUPLE HOURS LATER***_

"Boss! We have a problem!" one of Masira's crew mates called out.

"What is it?!" Masira asked.

"Night approaching from the southwest! It's a Cumuloregalis Cloud!"

"Really?! What time is it?!"

"10 AM! Much earlier than we had predicted!"

"This is bad... Shojo! Can you make it?!" Masira asked his brother.

Rather than answering, Shojo gave a command to his crew. "Wootan Divers! Get into the water! Find that current!" The divers all dove into the water.

The commotion got the rest of the Straw Hats back on deck.

"What is it?! What's happening?!" Usopp asked.

"The Cumuloregalis Cloud showed up earlier than they expected! And we still don't know where the next current is!" Nami answered.

One of Shojo's divers emerged from the water. "Echo confirmed! Strong ocean current at 12 o'clock!"

"Large creature detected at 9 o'clock! Might be a Sea King!" said another one of his divers.

"Wave opposing at current flow confirmed at 10 o'clock! It could be a whirlpool!" informed another.

"THAT'S IT!" Masira shouted. "All ships change heading to 10 o'clock! That's where the explosion will happen! Find the whirlpool and don't back out!"

' _Why do I have a bad feeling about this?_ ' Xion thought.

All of a sudden, the waves were getting rough for the three sailing vessels.

"What the-?!" Zoro gasped in shock.

"The waves are getting rougher!" Nami stated the obvious.

"You don't say!" Guthrie shouted.

"WE'LL SINK!" Usopp panicked.

"We won't sink!" Chirithy corrected.

"THE EXPLOSION'S ABOUT TO HAPPEN! STAY ALERT!" Masira informed.

Hearing that there will be an explosion frightened Chopper, who was hugging his sister-figure.

"Navigator-san! What does the Log Pose say?!" Robin called.

Nami looked down at the Log Pose attached to her wrist. "It's pointing straight at that cloud!" Everyone looked up at the sky. "The direction of the wind is dead on. The Cumoloregalis Cloud will head straight for the center of the whirlpool!"

The last part confused Luffy. "Oi, what whirlpool? Where is it?"

"Looks like we were right on the mark this time, brother!" Masira called.

"Yeah, and it looks like we don't have to worry about the size of the explosion either!" Shojo agreed.

"So we'll make it?!" Luffy asked.

"Yeah! You will!" Masira dispatched two hooks that latched onto Merry, much to the Straw Hat's confusion. "We're taking you into the whirlpool's current!"

"To the current?!" Xion repeated in a questioned tone, her bad feeling growing by the second.

"And then?! What happens next?!" Nami asked.

"Go with the flow! Get as close as you can to the center of the whirlpool and don't back out!"

At that one sentence, the navigator began to panic. "He never said we had to go INTO it!"

"Don't worry, Nami-san, Robin-chan, Xion-san! I'll protect you!" Sanji exclaimed.

"I can protect myself!" Xion retorted.

"I've never seen a whirlpool this big," Robin said, lightly sweating.

Chopper imagined how they were going to go to the shy from the center of the whirlpool and smiled, hoping they would just be shot to the sky.

"HEY STOP IT! STOP! LET'S GO BACK! I WANNA GO BACK!" Usopp begged.

"Give it up, Usopp. It's too late," Zoro told him. "One of us is already riding high."

"LET'S GO TO THE SKY ISLAND!" cheered the person in question.

"How are you not panicking?!" Guthrie and Chirithy demanded in unison.

A huge Sea King appeared, much to their surprise and shock. Neither passed as they then saw the creature being swept away in the whirlpool.

"Okay guys! You have to take care of yourselves from now on!" Masira called.

"Yeah! Thanks for bringing us here!" Luffy waved back.

"WAIT!" Usopp shouted. "YOU'VE GOTTA BE KIDDING ME! I'M SCARED OUT OF MY MIND! I WANNA GO BACK, DAMMIT! THIS IS CERTAIN DEATH!"

"NO ONE TOLD ME ABOUT A GIANT WHIRLPOOL! THIS IS A FRAUD, I TELL YOU! A FRAUD!" Nami added.

The sky was getting darker for them. "AHH! IT'S NIGHT!" Chirithy informed, just as panicked as the Weakling Trio.

"THE WHIRLPOOL'S PULL IS GETTING STRONGER!" Chopper followed, as their ship was getting closer to the center and their doom.

"We gotta pull out, Luffy! We can still make it!" Usopp begged. "You understand, right?! This whirlpool alone is enough to kill us! Sky Island's just a dream in a dream!"

"A dream in a dream?" their captain repeated.

"That's right, Luffy! I don't think I can do this either!" Nami supported Usopp's suggestion.

"You're the captain, aren't you?!" Guthrie questioned. "Shouldn't you think about your nakama's well beings?! This is too dangerous!"

"An Island that's a dream in a dream? There's no way I can pass an adventure like this!" He turned to the scared members plus Guthrie and they saw his face was nothing but sparkles on excitement.

"He... He's having fun..." Nami and Usopp cried, while their counselor was simply dumbfounded by how little Luffy seemed to care about his friends.

"Hey. While you guys were wasting your time whining..." Zoro spoke, causing them to turn their attention to him. He pointed at the direction their ship was going. "We've entered the whirlpool."

"Now, Nami-san! Press yourself against my chest~!" Sanji 'advised', just when they sailed to the center and started to fall to their doom.

"WE'RE FALLING!" Usopp cried out.

All of a sudden, their fall was cut short.

"It's gone?" Xion questioned.

"How?" Sanji also questioned.

"What happened?" Nami asked, calm now that they were out of death's door.

"T-That giant whirlpool... What's going on?!" Usopp followed.

Nami looked down, eyes wide as if realizing something. "No. It's starting." Everyone looked at her in confusion. "The bottom of the whirlpool was stopped by the sea floor."

Slowly, everyone was starting to get what she meant.

"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!" a familiar gruff voice shouted from the distance.

The group turned to see a black-sailed ship coming their way, with the base of the ship looking like an oversized raft. On the front of it were four individuals; two with oars paddling the ship forward, and the other two standing front and center. One of the rowers was familiar to Guthrie, Burgess. The guy that called out to them was familiar to Luffy, Zoro, Nami, and especially Xion; Blackbeard.

"We've caught up to you! Straw Hat Luffy!" he called out to the crew.

"It's him! The guy we met at Mock Town!" Nami realized.

"Blackbeard!" Xion growled, her fists tightening. She had a feeling this wasn't the last time she saw him.

"Well, if it ain't the girl who bested me back in Drum Kingdom!" Blackbeard said, seeing the girl with his prey. "I heard you've been called the Starlight Blade now, eh?!" He boomed with laughter at this.

Everyone turned to Xion, who felt the attention was drawn to her.

"What is he talking about, Xion?!" Ussop questioned. "Did you meet that guy before?!"

"Yeah. I remember him. He was the one that attacked Drum Kingdom and caused Wapol to flee," Xion grimaced, shocking Chopper. "I was there, in my previous life, and fought him. I managed to beat him, but barely."

"He's seriously that strong?!" Nami questioned, her eyes dilated.

"That guy was responsible for what happened back then?!" Chopper questioned in total surprise.

"Captain! I know that other guy with them!" Burgess barked, pointing a spare hand at where Guthrie was at. "He has the same kind of weapon as that girl! He's the one I told you about!"

"Great. He's back again," Guthrie muttered. "What's his deal, anyway?"

"It doesn't matter now, does it?!" Blackbeard roared. "I've come all this way to collect on your captain's 100 million beli bounty! So give up, Straw Hat! And you too girl! Your bounty and life will be an additional bonus!"

The crew became instantly confused as they heard the bounty amount, ignoring the last part of what he said. "My head? What do you mean 100 million?"

"Don't play dumb with me, kid!" Blackbeard retorted, and he raised three wanted posters from his hands. "It says right here; Monkey D. Luffy, wanted for 100 million! For 'Starlight Blade' Xion, 98 million! And for 'Pirate Hunter' Zoro, 60 million!"

Ussop, who was looking through some binoculars, saw the bounties and exclaimed, "It's true! He's got a wanted poster for each of you. Hey, Zoro, congratulations on your new bounty!"

While Sanji was prodding Ussop on seeing if he had a bounty, Luffy and Zoro were eagerly praising themselves for their new or raised bounties, not to Nami's amusement.

"Way to go, Xion!" Chopper cheered, hopping into her arms. "You're bounty is almost as big as Luffy's!"

"Yeah. Guess the Alabasta incident gave Luffy a chance to shine and overtake me with a higher bounty," Xion stated.

"I didn't know you had a bounty! And a high one at that!" Guthrie gasped, turning to Xion. "This crew has three high-beli wanted pirates?!"

"Four, actually. Robin also has a bounty of 79 million. Goes by the name 'Devil Child', if I recall."

Guthrie's mouth dropped as he looked to Robin, who nodded in confirmation. "What kind of pirate crew did I end up in?!"

"This crew may be a good one, but the world doesn't think so," Chirithy stated.

Unknown to them, although slowly realizing it, the water below them was slowly rising up.

"Everyone brace yourselves on the ship or get into the cabin!" Sanji advised, as they all ran to wherever seemed safe in their soon-to-be situation.

"THE SEA'S GONNA EXPLODE!" Usopp exclaimed.

Everyone held on tight to whatever seemed safe, considering they would most likely be shot to the sky. Soon enough, as Usopp said, the sea below them exploded, shooting Going Merry up in the air and destroying Blackbeard's raft. Well, not really shooting them up, for Merry was actually sailing up Knock-Up Stream.

"W-What the hell's going on?!" the sniper gasped.

"The ship's sailing straight up the surface of the water stream!" Sanji explained.

"This is awesome!" Luffy claimed.

"HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT?!" Chirithy asked.

Ignoring the small Dream Eater's words, the captain stated to cheer for Merry to bring them to the sky.

Sanji seemed to notice something off about their situation. "Hold on. It doesn't look like it's going to be that easy."

Xion looked and saw what he meant. "He's right! The bull's starting to come loose!"

"But wait! If that happens, we'll fall off!" Guthrie said.

"Y-Y-You can say that, but... W-W-What're we suppose to do?!" Usopp asked, hanging on to the rails. "It's taking all our strength just to hold on!"

Chopper noticed something falling above them. "What's that?!"

Everyone else looked up and saw that it was- "A Sea King!"

"Isn't that the same one that got sucked in the whirlpool earlier?" Guthrie asked, as it fell pass them.

"At this rate we'll end up just like it!" Xion said.

"Oi, oi. That may be true but, this thing's got all the force of that explosion behind it!" Zoro pointed out. "It's too late for us to do anything!"

"So it's really nothing more than a disaster?!" Sanji asked, as debris from ruined ships were falling on them. Seeing them brought Chopper and Usopp in a huge panic.

"Unfurl the sails! Right now!" Nami ordered, apparently with an idea. "This is still an ocean, not a pillar of water. A vertically-flowing current! And the wind that's blowing us up was caused by the explosion of geothermal heat and steam! A vertically-blowing air current! If we got the wind and an ocean, it can still be navigated! Who's this ship's navigator?!"

Hearing how sure she was with her hypothesis and her reasons brought up everyone's confidence.

"You heard our navigator! Get to work!" Xion ordered.

"Aye!" everyone else replied.

"Someone take the rudder so that we catch the wind from the starboard side! Bring the hull in line with the current!" Nami continued.

Although they're doing everything their navigator was telling them to do, it didn't change how Merry was falling off the surface and going to fall back to the sea below. Or so it seemed, when the ship actually did left the water and was literally flying through the air, up to the sky.

"WE'RE FLYING!" Luffy shouted in pure joy. "AWESOME! THE SHIP'S FLYING IN THE AIR!"

"I can't believe we're actually flying," Guthrie said, wide-eyed in shock.

"NAMI-SAN, YOU'RE BEAUTIFUL! AND I LOVE YOU~!" Sanji shouted.

"Why are you confessing your feelings?!" Chirithy asked, eyes bulging out in shock.

"Don't take him seriously," Xion told him.

Nami ignored Sanji's shout as she said, "If we sail along the current using the wind, we can go as high as we want!"

"Oi, Nami! Are we gonna make it to the Sky Island?!" Luffy asked.

"If it really exists, it's just beyond that cloud!"

Luffy looked on ahead, with an excited look on his face. "WE'RE ENTERING THE CUMULOREGALIS CLOUD!"


	7. The White Sea, Sky Knight and Gate

**Coral: Here's the next chapter, the arrival of Sky Island. Or at least the sky in general. And there are also some surprises in here, if you readers can catch them that is~**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or Kingdom Hearts. I do not own Guthrie and, soon to join, Allen. Well, actually I kind of do own him.**

* * *

 ** _*OPENING*_**

 _ **Let's fly to the sky**  
(The sun rises as Merry sails across the ocean)_  
 _ **There's not a single cloud in the sky  
** (All the current Straw Hats watched the sun rises, Luffy on the figurehead)_

 _ **Let's fly to the sky. (It's time to fly around) Catch the perfect breeze for you  
** (The camera faces the sky as the title appears on the screen) **  
Paint the sky with (Let's go to the wonder world) imagination that no one's ever seen  
** (Camera faces back to the Going Merry as everyone went on with their peaceful business)_

 _ **OH! OH! Even if it's too dazzling (Come on)  
** (Xion looked up and saw Marines ahead of them and warned everyone) **  
OH! OH! under the sun**_  
 _(They all prepared themselves for battle. Marines fired cannon balls at them) **  
OH! OH! If it's you, you can make it! Throw away your pride and FLY!  
** (Luffy, Zoro and Sanji sent the cannons back at them. Usopp fired a cannon of their own with Xion, in her Wisdom Form, unleashed Triple Firaga at them, followed by a Thundaga, clearing their path)_

 _ **Everyday is plain!** **  
Real talent makes the world go round**_  
 _(Going Merry sailed through the smoke. Everyone looked content as they enjoyed the sea breeze) **  
Deceit won't work anymore.  
** (Scene changed to Jaya in Mock Town, as camera faced each of the Blackbeard Pirates.) **  
Mayday, the red light is stopping you too  
** (Scene changed to Cricket's home, showing Cricket with Masira and Shojo side by side.)_

 _ **Lend me an ear! And I'm gonna stick on my RAP! Wussup!  
** (Guthrie fights against some pirates and Heartless. One tried to sneak up on him and Chirithy knocked it away.)_  
 _ **"From tomorrow on I'll get serious!"- seriously cut it out with excuses like that  
** (Allen danced as he dodged the attacks of the pirates and attacked them at the same time)_  
 _ **Increase your money with your dream! Time is money like NASDAQ!  
** (The Straw Hats looked at Cricket's gold and searched for the South Bird) **  
When will you do it boy? It's now or never man! This is the moment, right?  
** (The crew then arrived at the Knock Up Stream and went to the skies.)_

 _ **Everybody put ya hands in the air and clap ya hands like this like that**_  
 _ **Clap ya hands everybody! Everybody just clap ya hands!  
** (Scenes quickly changed to different scenes. Xion and Guthrie crossed blades, Luffy's one-hit KO on Bellamy, the group trying to catch the South Bird, then finally their first encounter with the Shandia Warriors)_

 _ **Let's fly to the sky (It's time to fly around) Catch the perfect breeze for you  
** (The Straw Hat Pirates arrived on Skypiea and were approached by the White Berets and fought them) **  
Paint the sky with (Let's go to the wonder world) imagination that no one's ever seen  
** (Scene changed to the group in the Upper Yard fighting against Heartless, Shandians and Priests)_

 _ **OH! OH! Even if it's too dazzling (Come on)  
** (Scene changed to Xion fighting against a blonde Organization XIII member with knives and lightning magic) **  
OH! OH! under the sun  
** (Changed to Guthrie and Allen teaming up against the Nobodies)_ _ **  
OH! OH! If it's you, you can make it! Throw away your pride and FLY!  
** (Changed to Luffy battling Enel. In a flash of light, opening ends with all of Straw Hats on Merry, facing the camera)_

* * *

 _Last time:_

 _"WE'RE FLYING!" Luffy shouted in pure joy. "AWESOME! THE SHIP'S FLYING IN THE AIR!"_

 _"I can't believe we're actually flying," Guthrie said, wide-eyed in shock._

 _"NAMI-SAN, YOU'RE BEAUTIFUL! AND I LOVE YOU~!" Sanji shouted._

 _"Why are you confessing your feelings?!" Chirithy asked, eyes bulging out in shock._

 _"Don't take him seriously," Xion told him._

 _Nami ignored Sanji's shout as she said, "If we sail along the current using the wind, we can go as high as we want!"_

 _"Oi, Nami! Are we gonna make it to the Sky Island?!" Luffy asked._

 _"If it really exists, it's just beyond that cloud!"_

 _Luffy looked on ahead, with an excited look on his face. "WE'RE ENTERING THE CUMULOREGALIS CLOUD!"_

* * *

The Going Merry was soaring higher in the sky. In fact, the ship soared so high, it went pass the clouds. Eventually Merry popped out of the clouds and, somehow, landed on them. Everyone took the chance to catch their breath and cough out whatever water went in their mouth from the cloud.

"Is everyone still here?" Zoro asked.

The whole crew was too busy panting to answer.

"Oi! Everyone take a look! Look around the ship!" Luffy called.

Recovering from the trip up, everyone looked and were speechless at the sight before them.

"What is this place?!" Sanji asked.

"IT'S SOOO WHITE!"

"Clouds?" Chopper questioned.

"We're on top of the clouds?" Nami also questioned.

"How are we floating above them?" Guthrie asked, not expecting to actually be above clouds.

"Sure we can float on them. They're clouds," Luffy replied, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"No we can't!" Zoro, Sanji and Chopper deadpanned.

"Logic will never work in the Grand Line," Xion said.

"Ahhhhh! Usopp's not breathing!" Chirithy shouted.

"What?!" Chopper and Luffy gasped.

"Hey! Do something! Like a CPR!" the latter of the two shouted.

"Okay~! I'll give Nami-san a CPR~!" Sanji swooned.

"No one said anything about Nami!" Guthrie shouted.

After a few pumps to Usopp's chest, the sniper woke up. As one would expect from him, the first thing he does is panic at his surroundings.

"Nami. What does the Log Pose say now?" Xion asked.

The navigator looked at the pose and saw that it was still pointing up. "The Log Pose is still pointing up."

"We seem to be in the middle layer of the Cumuloregalis Cloud," Robin guessed.

"Then how do we go higher?" Chopper asked.

"That I don't know."

"You think someone's around here?" Chirithy asked.

"That's a possibility, but we don't know where to go from here," Guthrie pointed out.

"For his first course, Captain Usopp is going for a swim!" they all heard. Turning to the source, they saw a shirtless Usopp posing on the railing. Both Luffy and Chopper cheered for the long-nose pirate.

"Oi, oi, oi! Don't do anything stupid!" Sanji warned. "We still don't know the nature of this sea!"

"A sea is a sea~!" With his goggles on, Usopp jumped into the clouds. Seeing this amazed his fellow simple-minded pirates, as well as made them feel a bit jealous, as they were Devil Fruit users.

The reliable Keyblade wielders sighed and just let them have their fun.

"But still... how are we going to advance further up?" Guthrie asked. "It's going to take a miracle for us to find anything besides clouds up here."

"Yeah..." Xion nodded. Immediately she flinched as she realized something very important. So important, she screamed at the top of her lungs, causing the ship to jump. "That idiot!" The next thing anyone knew, Xion jumped off the ship after Usopp.

No one knew why she had panicked, until Guthrie and Robin realized what was wrong.

"Just a thought," the latter spoke. "Is there a bottom to this sea?"

At her question, everyone else caught on to the panic.

"That idiot! Did he fall out of the cloud?!" Zoro asked.

* * *

In the cloud, Xion was searching for Usopp. Fang was holding onto her so she wouldn't fall out of the cloud and down to the blue sea below.

"Damn it! Don't tell me he's already out of the clouds," she cursed. An idea came to her. "Oh yeah! It's time to try the new addition!" She took out another card. " **Summon: Peepsta Hoo!** "

Appearing out of the card was a purple owl-like Dream Eater with blue and yellow ears and a purple horn on its head. Its face is gray and it has colorful feathers under its chin. On its wings and tail were yellow, orange and burgundy feathers. The body is light green and yellow and the feet are grey with purple claws. On its chest was the Dream Eater sigil.

"Gunma! Help me find Usopp!" Xion requested.

Gunma nodded and took a good look around the area, eyes glowing via its Scan ability. It found the falling sniper and flew to him, Xion and Fang following close behind. The three were out of the clouds and found the dumbfounded pirate of their's.

"There! Catch him!" At Xion's order, the Peepsta Hoo went and caught the sniper. "Good. Now let's go back up." The two Dream Eaters nodded and flew the two humans back above the clouds. As they did so, Xion couldn't help but hear something chasing them.

' _What am I saying? There's no way there can be anything in the clouds,_ ' she thought.

The two pirates emerged from the white sea, much to their friends' reliefs.

"There they are!" Nami said.

Not long after, a large octopus popped out of the cloud, much to their shock, followed by a sea serpent.

"Something else came up with them!" Luffy exclaimed.

"They want to eat Usopp and Xion!" Guthrie informed, as the sea serpent opened its mouth wide for both the sniper and the Peepsta Hoo.

Nami, Chopper and Chirithy screamed at the sight of them.

"You don't have to be scared of them!" Zoro said, cutting one of the octopus' tentacles. Instead of it being cut with blood spilling out, the organ popped like a balloon, much to their surprise.

As the serpent went after Sanji, the chef gave it a good kick to the head, knocking it out.

* * *

After that short little episode, everything was calm on the Merry, Xion and the still unconscious Usopp back on deck with the former's Dream Eaters back in their cards.

"But man. This place sure knows takes the breath out of you," Zoro stated, trying to catch his breath.

"Now this is a weird looking animal," Sanji said, observing the serpent he knocked out. "I can't even tell if it's a fish."

"That octopus was almost like a balloon."

"But they were definitely animals. We saw them moving, didn't we?" Xion pointed out.

"Animals in the sky?" Nami questioned.

"So we really should think of this as more of an ocean than a cloud," Robin stated.

"What is this flat fish?" Chopper asked.

"It's a flatfish. Because it's flat," Luffy identified.

"I don't think that's what it's called," Chirithy said with a slight sweat drop.

Usopp, still pale from his experience, regained his senses and let out a scream.

"What's wrong, Usopp?" Guthrie asked.

"My overalls... Something is in them," he answered, taking out what seemed like a blue fish and flinging it away from him, continuing his breakdown. This worried Chopper as he went to check up on him. Robin couldn't help but feel pity for him.

The archeologist looked down at the flopping fish he flung and picked it up. "Would you say this is a Skyfish?" she asked.

"You mean the fish written in Noland's book?" Guthrie asked. Before meeting the crew, he read some of the journal.

Robin nodded at his question. "Since there's no botton to this sea, they must've evolved various adaptations to survive."

"Like being a balloon and flattening out their bodies?" Zoro asked.

"Most likely to reduce their density," Xion replied.

"Demon-san's right. This sea's buoyancy is significantly lower than that of the sea below us," Robin explained.

"Its scales looks like feathers. And it's unusual for it to be a carnivore," Nami listed.

Guthrie noticed something smelled good and turned to see the fish they were observing had already been cooked.

"I sauteed it," Sanji bluntly said.

Luffy took a bite out of it. "This is good!"

"WE DIDN'T FINISH LOOKING AT IT!" Guthrie shouted.

"What do you guys think you're doing?!" Nami demanded. She then took a bite and instantly changed her demeanor. "Oh, you're right. It's delicious!"

"That's fast!" the male Keyblade wielder and his Dream Eater spoke in shock.

Xion looked to the side and saw her 'brother' looking around their surroundings with a pair of binoculars. "Do you see anything?" she asked.

"Not yet," he answered. "Huh?"

"What's wrong?"

"I think I see a ship. And is that... a person?" Before Xion could ask him what he meant, Chopper let out a loud shriek.

"Chopper-kun?" Xion called. The reindeer handed his sister the binoculars. She peered through them and saw why he was distressed. There was a ship a good distance away from them, but it was destroyed. Not only that but there was a person skating through the clouds, heading their way.

"Everyone prepare yourselves! We got company!" she warned.

Just then, everyone else noticed something off in the distance, coming towards them. As Chopper and Xion saw, they could clearly see a man racing towards them, dashing on top of the clouds without even moving his feet. He wore a horned mask, wore a brown grass skirt, had wings, and carried a shield and a bazooka in his hands.

"There's a guy running around out there," Sanji noticed.

"He's not running, but he's skating closer to us!" Guthrie corrected.

Xion watched the man come closer, leaping into the air towards them. She felt a sense of deja vu at this point. Why did she feel she had seen this before?

"Oi, hold it!" Sanji called out. "What do you want?"

"To destroy you!" the mysterious attacker responded bluntly.

"So a fight?" Sanji asked sarcastically.

"Fine by me," Zoro growled, ready to draw his sword, while a certain straw hat captain was confused.

"Careful!" Xion cried out. "This guy is dangerous!"

Everyone was distracted by her words, giving the man a chance to kick Sanji hard in the face, sending him flying to the cabin. Zoro tried stopping the guy, but he felt his body slow down, and got hit by the guy, keeling backwards. The guy didn't stop as he spun in the air and axe-kicked Luffy to the floor.

"Hey, don't let that guy walk all over you! Get him!" Nami barked at the guys.

"Then help them out, will you?!" Guthrie barked back, watching the man leap away from the ship, aiming his bazooka at them. Chopper and Chirithy were panicking at this, while Ussop was still out of it.

"I got him!" Xion barked, leaping off the ship towards the man in the tiki mask.

She was about to draw her Keyblade out when she observed the man closely. Just then, she had a flashback of a similar person in the same exact position, aiming his bazooka at her, though his face was shadowed, and she didn't recognize him. Xion was too startled at this to realize the man drew his shield, resulting in her slamming headlong into it. As she reeled back from the attack, defenseless, the man pulled a spin kick that sent her flying back to the ship.

"Xion!" Chopper cried as Guthrie raced in, catching her in his arms before she hit the ship.

"Why the hell did you space out?!" Nami barked at her.

The man looked down at the ship, hearing her name from the human reindeer and faltered slightly. Did he just hear what he thought he heard? Was this girl really named Xion? Her cloak did seem familiar.

"That's enough!" roared a voice from above. The man looked up in time to raise his shield to protect himself from the spear of what obviously looked like an old man in knight's armor, with a black and yellow cape draped behind. He had just leapt off a pink and black polka-dotted bird of some kind.

He shoved the masked man into the clouds, causing them to rise and cover him like sea water. The knight landed on the edge of the ship.

"What?! Now who's this guy?!" a tearful Nami exclaimed.

The knight rose and turned to the group, walking onto the deck. "You may call me the Sky Knight." The bird landed behind him, crying out something that sounded like, 'pierre'.

Guthrie placed Xion onto her feet as they looked to the sky knight, who turned to the area the masked man fell to. There were no signs of him at all, nor any signs of movement in the clouds. However, the female Keyblade wielder looked to the old man and had another sense of deja vu. Her head throbbed a bit and she placed a hand to it.

"Are you okay?" Guthrie asked. "You really conked yourself on that guys' shield."

"Yeah, I think so," she moaned. "I don't really know what happened just then. It's like I saw someone else, but I didn't know who it was."

"What's going on? Who was that guy?" Nami asked. She then glared to the group of fighters as she added, "And you! Can you be any more worthless? That was pathetic! All four of you couldn't handle him! Even you, Xion! Why the hell didn't you even attack?!"

"It's not like you were any better," Guthrie retorted, looking at the trio of guys, who were all having a hard time breathing. "All you did was complain and bark orders without even putting in an effort. If you're part of this crew, then surely, you know how to fight."

"Shut up! It's not like you fought, either!"

"You saved us! Thanks a lot!" Chopper bowed to the sky knight.

"No need for thanks," he answered, turning to the crew. "This is a service."

"Dammit... I'm disappointed," Sanji moaned.

"Somehow... my body... won't move that well..." Luffy spoke.

"It must be because of the thin air," Robin assumed.

"Yeah. We are at a higher elevation," Guthrie pointed out, turning to Xion. "Though you seem to be fine, apart form your head throbbing."

"Guess my body's use to this," she answered. "Why aren't you affected?"

"I like going up to high places to think, so I'm use to altitude changes," the male Keyblade wielder answered.

"You must be Blue Sea Dwellers," the sky knight assumed, walking up the steps to the front of the ship.

"Blue Sea Dwellers? What is that? And who are you?" Nami asked.

"As I said, I am the Sky Knight. And 'Blue Sea Dwellers' are what we call people who live beneath the clouds. I'm assuming you arrived here from the blue sea?"

"Yeah, that's right," Luffy answered.

"Then that explains it." The sky knight sat on the railing over them. "You have reached the White Sea, which is 7,000 meters above your Blue Sea. The White White Sea, which I assume you are heading to, is higher up, about 10,000 meters. Ordinary Blue Sea Dwellers can't possibly endure it here."

"We're not exactly normal," Xion pointed out as Luffy, Zoro and Sanji were starting to get use to the air and were relaxing a bit.

The Sky Knight was startled at this, then looked to Xion. "Oh, are you...?" Xion looked at him in confusion as he observed her. "Never mind. I thought you were someone else. My apologies."

Xion was definitely confused at this. What did he mean? Did he know her or someone like her? She did feel like she knew him, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

"So Mr. Knight, why was that guy running around in the clouds attacking people?" Chopper asked, redirecting the conversation.

"Yeah, and how was he able to move about there without moving his feet?" Guthrie asked.

"Now, now, now. I am certain you have many questions to ask me, but first we have matters of business to discuss," the Sky knight told them.

"Business?" Chirithy asked.

"I am a free mercenary, and this is a sea of many dangers. Since you know not of the battle of the sky, you will be easy targets for the Guerrillas or the Skyfish. One whistle and I will rescue you for a price of five million extols."

Everyone looked pretty darn confused at this, wondering what the hell an 'extol' was.

"What're you talking about, old man?" Luffy asked, he, Sanji and Zoro tilting their heads.

"It must be a currency we don't know about," Guthrie assumed.

"You fool! It is a small price to pay!" the sky knight exclaimed. "I will not take one extol less! I have to make a living, you know!"

"We understand that, but we don't know what an extol is." Xion pointed out.

"And what do you mean by a whistle?" Sanji added.

The sky knight suddenly became startled at this and asked, "You mean you did not come by way of the High West? But you must have at least stopped by one or two islands!"

"What the heck are you talking about, ossan?!" Luffy grumbled.

"Hold on! You mean there are other ways to get to the sky sea?" Nami questioned in surprise. "And one or two islands? You mean there's more than one Sky Island?"

The sky knight was now starting to realize they had not taken the path he thought and that the only other way they could've gotten here. "My goodness! You mean that you-"

"We rode up the Knock-Up Stream," Robin answered his unfinished question.

"Riding that monstrous current? To think there are still souls brave enough to dare to do that..."

As Nami wept in realization, Xion did a face palm. Why, oh why, did she not even think about there being another route than the one they took? And a safer one at that? Maybe they were just that desperate to come here? Or they hadn't had the thought of getting info before finding a route? Nami yelled stuff similar to this to the captain as she shook him vigorously, while Ussop was still on his back, still muttering how scary the Sky Islands were.

"Have you lost any of your crew?" the sky knight asked.

"Nope, we all made it!" Luffy answered, recovering the shaking fit instantly.

"The other routes would not have been so merciful. If you had brought 100 people, it would be a gamble was to how many would survive. But by using the Knock-Up Stream, either you all die or you all survive. There are few left willing to risk an all or nothing gamble, especially in recent years. I have great respect for your brave and trustworthy navigators."

"So, in a way, we took a better route than the one we could've taken," Guthrie stated, pulling Nami away from Luffy. "So instead of complaining about it, we should be grateful we all survived the trip up here, thanks to you, Nami."

"Well, it was the path I chose!" Ussop lied, getting glares from Xion and Nami. "At the time, these guys were crying and had given up on their lives, but I told them-" Nami grabbed the side of his mouth while Xion pointed the tip of her Keyblade at his face. Nami grabbing his face wasn't much of a threat, Xion pointing her Keyblade at him on the other hand... "Nothing at all!"

"Thought so," Nami growled.

The Sky Knight looked to the Keyblade in complete surprise. Again, he was reminded of someone who wielded a similar blade, and wore a coat like Xion's. However, the girl he knew wouldn't have come here on such a dangerous path, but would take a portal up to here instead. Plus, he felt she was different, in regards to personality. He assumed this girl was just someone else with similar traits, but was not the same one he met before.

He dug into his pocket and pulled out a whistle. He tossed it to the crew and explained, "One whistle means blowing sharply into this. I will descend from Heaven itself to lend you aid. I normally ask five million extols for future visits, but I shall give you one whistle as a present."

Chirithy picked up the whistle from the ground, holding it in his hands, while Nami called out, "Wait! We don't even know your name!"

"I am the Sky Knight, Gan Fall!" he introduced himself. "And this is my partner, Pierre!" The bird he rode on before cried out to them. Suddenly, the bird was transforming before the crew. "I should have mentioned that my partner, Pierre is a bird who has eaten and gained the ability of the Horse-Horse fruit. Meaning, he can become a winged horse!"

"You mean, he can become..." Xion started.

"How wonderful! A Pegasus?!" Nami asked in amazement.

"Yes! A Pegasus!" Gan Fall answered, saddling himself on top of the transformed bird, who looked like the most ridiculous-looking Pegasus anyone could've imagined, still having wings on its back, tail feathers, and an ugly horse face to boot.

"That's... questionable," most of the crew muttered, feeling letdown.

"Brave souls, may luck be with you!" Gan Fall called out, as Pierre galloped away to the sky, flapping his wings as he did. Everyone watched him leave with confused looks, wondering what the heck was the point of even transforming.

Guthrie looked to Robin, and could've sworn she saw blush marks on her face. "Why are you blushing?" he asked.

Robin realized this and tried hard to stop as she responded, "N-Nothing."

Although, in her mind she thought, ' _It's so sad-looking, it's cute._ '

"But in any case, he really didn't tell us much," Chirithy said.

"Yeah! Not a thing!" Usopp nodded.

"We can blow this and he'll come back," Sanji recalled.

"How are we going to get higher?" Zoro asked.

"Yosh! I'll call that Ossan and ask him!" Luffy snatched the whistle from Chirithy's hand and made a motion to blow into it, when Nami and Usopp stopped him.

"W-W-W-W-Whoa! Hold it, Luffy!" the navigator shouted. "That's only to ask for help in an emergency!"

"What if that weirdo in the mask shows up again?!" Usopp asked.

"Anyway, we should get sailing," Guthrie said.

"Oi! Look over there!" Chopper called.

Robin looked where he was looking and saw something quite peculiar. "I wonder what's over there."

"Weird, right?"

"It looks like a waterfall."

"Sounds like a good start to me," Xion said. "Let's go over there."

With that, the crew continued their trip to go higher up in the sky, starting with the cloud waterfall. As they sailed, Xion went to train in her dive, something that confuses Guthrie as he saw Chopper preparing medicine by her meditating sister's side.

"What'cha doing?" he asked.

"Xion-nee is doing some training. I have to prepare some medicine and bandages in case if she over does her body," the man-reindeer answered.

"All she's doing is meditating, isn't she?" Chirithy asked, just as confused as his master.

"Wrong," Zoro answered. "Guthrie, we told you back in the woods, remember? About her dive into her heart training."

The male Keyblade wielder thought back to the moment the three-sword-style swordsman spoke of. "Her meditating is that dive thing? Looks like normal meditating if you ask me." The moment he said that, Xion was suddenly hit by the side by some 'unknown' force, slamming her down to the floor, much to his, Chirithy, and Robin's shock.

"Aaahhhhh! Xion-nee!" Chopper immediately got to work with patching up her wound.

"What just happened?!" Chirithy asked.

"Apparently whatever damage Xion takes when she's in her Dive to the Heart, it also affects her body," Nami explained.

"You guys seem awfully calm about this! Besides Chopper that is!" Guthrie said.

"Xion can take care of herself. What we need to worry about while she's away is her body. If anything happens to it, Xion could be in that dive forever. Or worse, dead!" Usopp added.

"Either way she would die!" Guthrie and Chirithy shouted.

"Is there any way to get her out if we're in danger?!" the former questioned.

"That you have to ask her master," Zoro replied.

Nami realized something when he mentioned that. "Now that you mentioned it... Hey! You're here, aren't you?! How about you give them a proper explanation about Xion's Dive to the Heart?! They're our nakama and Xion's! The least you can do is introduce yourself!" To those who have yet to know Voice, they assume she was shouting at Xion, who was busy training.

After a few seconds, they finally got a response from the Keyblade wielder, just not in the way they imagined. "I suppose if I must," came a deep, male voice from her mouth. She opened her eyes and the group realized how dull they seemed. "Greetings, new members."

* * *

 _ ***XION'S DIVE TO THE HEART***_

Standing before Xion was a group consisting of a couple Cloud Sunrises, Air Soldiers, Red Nocturnes, Blue Rhapsodies, Yellow Operas, Green Requiems, Air Pirates, Aerial Vikings, and a Tailbunker, the last Heartless being the leader.

"Sometimes I wonder if Voice hates me for some reason," she muttered. For this training, Xion was to defeat the Heartless, completing the training with a Limit Break, in other words her Wingblade Command Style and Ragnarok Shotlock, which would be easier said than done if she wasn't struggling staying alive or taking a critical amount of damage. She already took a damage from an Aerial Viking's surprise attack. If she takes a damage from the Tailbunker, she had a feeling that would be it for her.

"Have to be lighter on my feet." She charged at the group of Heartless, avoiding the attacks from the long-range mage-like Emblem Heartless. " **Strike Raid!** " She tossed her Keyblade at the elemental Heartless, knocking them down to the ground, but not enough to take them out. " **Blitz!** " As the Air Pirates charged down at her, Xion performed three jumping attacks, each one hitting their mark and knocking them down. Like the elemental group of Heartless, however, none of them were taken out yet. " **Binding Strike!** " She then performed a spinning attack at the oncoming Air Soldiers, knocking them into the first group of Heartless she took down, obliterating them. While she was airborne, an Aerial Viking came and gave her a hard punch to the gut, knocking her to the ground.

"Okay. That really hurt," she said, getting back up on her feet and rubbing her stomach. She looked up and saw a Cloud Sunrise making a jump on her. She quickly dodge-rolled away from it and fired a fireball at it. Apparently, it proved to be a distraction, for Xion was whacked into the air by a Tailbunker. As she was in the air, she saw some of the Heartless flying up to her. "No you don't! **Thundaga!** " Xion called upon a strong set of lightning, stopping the Heartless in their tracks and destroying them, leaving her with the uninjured Tailbunker and the remaining Cloud Sunrises.

"Now sounds like a good time." Xion concentrated all her power into her Keyblade, causing it to glow a familiar light. " **Wingblade!** " Hey Keyblades multiplied and transformed into her light sabers, all floating behind her. She grabbed two of the swords and charged forward, first taking down the Cloud Sunrises. After they were taken care of and the first pair of blades disappeared, Xion grabbed the second pair and charged at the Tailbunker. As expected, the last Heartless proved to be quite challenging to her. Xion could only land in a couple of hits before the big guy decided to go ahead and attack her with its wings. That didn't stop her from continuing on her combo, stabbing the dragon-like Heartless, weakening it even further. Her opponent didn't seem fazed by her efforts and slammed its tail into her, in which she blocked last minute. She then called upon six spears of light, telepathically tossed them all at the Heartless. Unlike the last time she used it, this time, a magic emblem made of light appeared, shocking the Heartless.

' _Whoa. That's new,_ ' she thought. ' _In any case, it's time to finish this._ ' Xion grabbed her Keyblade and leapt into the air. Once she had locked on to her opponent, she unleashed the true finisher. " **Ragnarok!** " A salvo of light projectiles were fired from her Keyblade all hitting her target. She charged and shot out more of it at the Tailbunker, eventually ending the Heartless.

Xion sighed in relief, now that the training was over. "That wasn't as hard as I thought. Kind of," she said, healing herself with her Cure spell.

" **Now that's a lie,** " she heard Voice said.

"You know, I really do wonder if you have something against me, sometimes."

" **What do I have against you? Besides, it wouldn't be training if it was easy.** "

"Yeah, I guess that's true." Xion stretched out her muscles. "Are we anywhere near our destination yet?"

" **From what I've seen and spoken with your navigator, I would say so.** "

"I see. Then I should get some fresh, calm air."

" **Very well. You are free to leave.** "

Xion nodded and left her dive.

* * *

"A gate to heaven?" was the first thing Xion heard when she got back. "Oi! Is this a joke?! It's like we're going to die!" Looking up, ahead of the ship, she saw what seemed like a gate with a sign that said 'Heaven's Gate' at the top.

"Or what if we're dead already?" Zoro casually asked.

"Oh. That would certainly account for all this weird stuff," Sanji agreed.

"Huh?! We're dead?!" Chopper questioned in a panicked tone.

Luffy simply laughed with a happy-go-lucky face. "Heaven, eh? Sounds like fun! Finally going there!"

"How can you say that so happily?!" Chirithy asked, hitting Luffy as hard as he can, only to get little to no results.

"We're not going to die!" Nami denied, hitting Luffy in the Dream Eater's place and Zoro and Sanji.

Xion lightly sweat dropped, wondering what happened while she was away.

"Do I want to know?" she asked out loud.

"Oh. You're back," Robin said.

"Oi! Look over there! Someone's coming out!" Usopp called.

As he said, an elderly woman wearing a pink tunic came out, taking some pictures. The most unusual thing about her is the pair of wings on her back.

"Look! On her back! They're wings!" Chopper shouted.

"An angel! So that's a real angel?! She looks like a prune!" Luffy carelessly stated.

"Have you not heard of 'respect your elders'?!" Guthrie asked, not believing how rude his captain is.

"I am the appointed lookout of Heaven's Gate, Amazon," the elderly angel introduced, unfazed by Luffy's insult. "Sightseeing? Or fighting?"

"S-Sightseeing would be closer, I guess," Nami replied.

"We want to get to the Sky Island!" Luffy told her. "Sky Island's on the other side of this gate, right?"

"What do you mean 'fighting'?" Zoro asked, a bit suspicious of the angel's question.

"It doesn't matter which," Amazon answered/avoided. "Just pay the immigration fee one billion extol per person and be on your way. That's the law."

Despite the fact that the currency isn't the same, just hearing the amount made some of the crew jump.

"O-One billion?!" Usopp gasped.

"There's that extol thing again," Sanji said.

"How much is one billion extol in Belli?"

"By the price, I can only hope that Belli is more expensive than Extol," Guthrie said.

"No matter what it is, one billion's gotta be a lot!" Chopper said.

"One billion per person... For ten people it's ten billion," Robin calculated.

"I can always be summoned though. So I don't have to be counted," Chirithy pointed out.

"Excuse me. We don't have extol," Xion told her.

"You can still pass," Amazon said.

"We can?!" Usopp air slapped.

' _I didn't even finish my question,_ ' the female Keyblade wielder spoke.

"Or you can not pass," the angel continued, confusing the crew. "I an neither a guardian or a warrior. I only listen to your will."

"Something's fishy here," Guthrie whispered to his Vice Captain.

"You think so too, huh," Xion agreed.

"Then let's go! Let's go to the Sky Island!" Luffy said.

"We don't have any money, but we're going through, Granny!" Usopp told her.

"I see. So ten of you, yes?"

"No. Nine of us actually," Guthrie corrected, confusing most of the people around him.

"What are you saying, Guppy? There are ten of us here," Luffy told him.

"It's Guthrie. How can you forget my name?" The male Keyblade wielder held back the urge to hit the boy. "Anyway, Just to be on the safe side, Chirithy will just poof away."

"'Poof'?" the non-Keyblade wielders repeated questionably. To answer their unasked question, Chirithy just poofed himself away, much to their shock.

"Huh?! Where'd Chirithy go?!" Chopper asked.

"Like I said, he can just appear whenever he wants. Though so far he only comes out when I call for him," Guthrie muttered the last part. Turning to Amazon, he then said, "Anyway, nine people. Are you sure it's okay for us to go on?"

"Yes. Of course," she answered.

"But how do we get to the Sky Island?" Luffy asked.

"Wait Luffy, we need to know more about the currency-" Before Xion could finish her sentence, a pair of giant red claws came out of the cloud and grabbed onto the Merry by what was left of the makeshift wings.

"Inhabitant of the White Sea, the Speedy Shrimp." With that, the group suddenly zoomed higher up the cloud from the shrimp's back. Everyone was hanging on to something to prevent themselves from falling off the ship. But hey, nothing's going to go wrong. Right?

... Who are we kidding? Of course something's going to go wrong.


	8. Welcome to Skypiea

**Coral: Welcome to the next Soaring to the Sky chapter! In this chapter we get to see an interesting spar, as well as a slight flashback. I really hope you guys enjoy this chapter now~**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or Kingdom Hearts. I do not own Guthrie and, soon to join, Allen. Well, actually I kind of do own him.**

* * *

 ** _*OPENING*_**

 _ **Let's fly to the sky**  
(The sun rises as Merry sails across the ocean)_  
 _ **There's not a single cloud in the sky  
** (All the current Straw Hats watched the sun rises, Luffy on the figurehead)_

 _ **Let's fly to the sky. (It's time to fly around) Catch the perfect breeze for you  
** (The camera faces the sky as the title appears on the screen) **  
Paint the sky with (Let's go to the wonder world) imagination that no one's ever seen  
** (Camera faces back to the Going Merry as everyone went on with their peaceful business)_

 _ **OH! OH! Even if it's too dazzling (Come on)  
** (Xion looked up and saw Marines ahead of them and warned everyone) **  
OH! OH! under the sun**_  
 _(They all prepared themselves for battle. Marines fired cannon balls at them) **  
OH! OH! If it's you, you can make it! Throw away your pride and FLY!  
** (Luffy, Zoro and Sanji sent the cannons back at them. Usopp fired a cannon of their own with Xion, in her Wisdom Form, unleashed Triple Firaga at them, followed by a Thundaga, clearing their path)_

 _ **Everyday is plain!** **  
Real talent makes the world go round**_  
 _(Going Merry sailed through the smoke. Everyone looked content as they enjoyed the sea breeze) **  
Deceit won't work anymore.  
** (Scene changed to Jaya in Mock Town, as camera faced each of the Blackbeard Pirates.) **  
Mayday, the red light is stopping you too  
** (Scene changed to Cricket's home, showing Cricket with Masira and Shojo side by side.)_

 _ **Lend me an ear! And I'm gonna stick on my RAP! Wussup!  
** (Guthrie fights against some pirates and Heartless. One tried to sneak up on him and Chirithy knocked it away.)_  
 _ **"From tomorrow on I'll get serious!"- seriously cut it out with excuses like that  
** (Allen danced as he dodged the attacks of the pirates and attacked them at the same time)_  
 _ **Increase your money with your dream! Time is money like NASDAQ!  
** (The Straw Hats looked at Cricket's gold and searched for the South Bird) **  
When will you do it boy? It's now or never man! This is the moment, right?  
** (The crew then arrived at the Knock Up Stream and went to the skies.)_

 _ **Everybody put ya hands in the air and clap ya hands like this like that**_  
 _ **Clap ya hands everybody! Everybody just clap ya hands!  
** (Scenes quickly changed to different scenes. Xion and Guthrie crossed blades, Luffy's one-hit KO on Bellamy, the group trying to catch the South Bird, then finally their first encounter with the Shandia Warriors)_

 _ **Let's fly to the sky (It's time to fly around) Catch the perfect breeze for you  
** (The Straw Hat Pirates arrived on Skypiea and were approached by the White Berets and fought them) **  
Paint the sky with (Let's go to the wonder world) imagination that no one's ever seen  
** (Scene changed to the group in the Upper Yard fighting against Heartless, Shandians and Priests)_

 _ **OH! OH! Even if it's too dazzling (Come on)  
** (Scene changed to Xion fighting against a blonde Organization XIII member with knives and lightning magic) **  
OH! OH! under the sun  
** (Changed to Guthrie and Allen teaming up against the Nobodies)_ _ **  
OH! OH! If it's you, you can make it! Throw away your pride and FLY!  
** (Changed to Luffy battling Enel. In a flash of light, opening ends with all of Straw Hats on Merry, facing the camera)_

* * *

 _Last time:_

 _"But how do we get to the Sky Island?" Luffy asked._

 _"Wait Luffy, we need to know more about the currency-" Before Xion could finish her sentence, a pair of giant red claws came out of the cloud and grabbed onto the Merry by what was left of the makeshift wings._

 _"Inhabitant of the White Sea, the Speedy Shrimp." With that, the group suddenly zoomed higher up the cloud from the shrimp's back. Everyone was hanging on to something to prevent themselves from falling off the ship. But hey, nothing's going to go wrong. Right?_

 _... Who are we kidding? Of course something's going to go wrong._

* * *

After a long ride up cloud, the Straw Hat Pirates arrived at the Sky Island at last, known as Skypeia, the same name on the map Luffy found. The island was huge and beautiful, the buildings were well crafted, giving off a somewhat heavenly vibe.

"What is this place?! It reeks of adventure~!" Luffy said, just as the Merry docked by the beach.

He then jumped off the ship. Usopp, worried he might fall back to the Blue Sea, jumped after him to stop him, only to actually land on the cloud, somewhat. The two than ran further along the cloud beach, Chopper running to join them. Zoro asked Luffy where to drop the anchor, something the boy is not at all concerned about.

Xion sighed and called out one of her Dream Eaters. " **Summon: Peepsta Hoo.** " Gunma appeared by her side. "Gunma will scan the area and find a place for the anchor. Pay close attention to his signal, got it?"

"I hear ya," the swordsman said.

"And what are you going to do?" Guthrie asked.

"I'm going to change my clothes," Xion answered.

* * *

After the girls changed into a new set of clothes, the rest of the crew got off the ship and either explored or relaxed at the beach. Before they got off, half the crew realized that while Guthrie's Southbird friend, Soula, flew off when he had a chance back at the Knock-Up Stream, the bad Southbird was still held captive below deck. Seeing that he wouldn't cause any trouble with anyone while in the sky, the crew released him.

Nami wore a bikini, with a cloud pattern, maroon trousers, and went barefoot. Robin swpaped into a yellow sleeveless shirt and purple pants reaching to her calves, with a simple belt around her waist. She sported a white ornament on her left arm and also ventured over to the shore barefoot. Xion wore a white tank top with a black vest over it and had on beige shorts.

"You seem uncomfortable in those clothes," Chopper noted at his sister-figure.

"I've been wearing my coat for so long, I forgot what it's like to wear other clothes," she simply reasoned. "I'm sure I'll get over it." She looked to the side and saw Guthrie practicing his skill with two wooden swords, Chirithy by his side. "You're not too bad at that." Xion stated as she approached Guthrie and his Dream Eater. "I can see how you were able to do well against me when we fought before."

Guthrie stopped training and turned to Xion. "That battle only showed our skills in magic and techniques. I'm only training in my natural skills with a blade."

"Why? I know it's important, but shouldn't you focus more on learning those other skills? You said it yourself that you had only recently become a Keyblade wielder. As such, you should learn how to use the magic and techniques that were given to you with it."

"She's right, Guthrie," Chirithy agreed. "You have to gather up more medals and adapt yourself more with the Keyblade in order to use more magic and techniques. Your natural skills are great, but you should learn to fight with more than that."

Guthrie didn't respond to that, but he looked at his wooden katana, then at the second one he had. Showing a sign of resolve, he looked at Xion, and tossed his second katana at her. She was slightly startled at the sudden moment, that she fumbled the blade in her hands before catching it in both.

"Let me see your natural skills," he told her. "I want to see what you are capable of without the needs of magic, techniques, Dream Eaters, any of that."

Xion wasn't sure what he was gonna prove, but she wasn't gonna back down. After all, she had confidence in her skills as they are, and decided to show she could fight Guthrie and beat him.

Drawing the attention of everyone except Luffy and Ussop, who were too busy playing in the clouds, the pirates watched Xion and Guthrie get into their fighter's stances. They locked eyes with one another, wondering who would make the first move. Finally, Xion leapt forward, and the fight started. She did an overhead angled swing at Guthrie, who parried the attack almost effortlessly, then slashed her at the side, pushing her away.

"Xion-nee!" Chopper exclaimed.

"Bastard! Go easy on her!" Sanji growled.

Xion recovered herself as she saw Guthrie take his stance again. "Try again," he told her.

The female Keyblade wielder huffed a couple times, then charged at Guthrie again. She tried striking him with several swings, but he dodged and parried her strikes with ease, before coming around and kicking her from behind, causing her to fall. She was fortunate the ground was made of clouds, as the fall wasn't as bad.

"How in the heck is he overwhelming Xion like that?" Nami questioned. "She should be mopping the floor with him."

"If they were using magic and skills, then yeah, she would," Chirithy agreed, watching Xion get back up for another round with her opponent. "However, Guthrie has trained with a blade since he was four years old. His parents pretty much forced him to do so, since they knew the lore of the Keyblade, and knew that one day, he might wield one. That's why they taught him to fight with a sword, and he exceeded the limits of even his parents. He even reached the semi-finals of the national kendo championships, and is considered the third best swordsman in his land."

This statement was quite surprising to the watching pirates, but it intrigued the only other sword wielder in their crew. Zoro had to smirk, wondering if he should spar with Guthrie at some point.

"You lack the flow of using your blade," Guthrie told Xion as he put her down yet another time. "You state that I should learn to use magic and techniques to fight, but I can see that you rely too heavily on it, as well as your Dream Eaters. No wonder Chirithy told me that I was suppose to be your guardian."

Xion gritted her teeth angrily, hated to be talked down to like this. "Shut up, shut up!" she roared. She charged at Guthrie, clashing blades with him.

"Now you're too predictable. Your anger is causing you to make bad judgements in your attack," Guthrie continued, easily dodging and blocking her vicious assault. "You're angry because you refuse to admit I am right, right? That's why you're lashing out like this."

Xion roared as she leapt into the air, her wooden katana raised to strike Guthrie down. However, just as she came close, Guthrie focused himself, and before she could act, he sidestepped her blade, came from behind, and struck her back with his blade, causing her to fall face-first into the ground.

Just as she laid there, her head sparked in pain, as she felt something. This feeling, the fact that he easily beat her and how he beat her, all felt too familiar. She raised herself on her hands and knees, trying to focus herself, looking down at the ground, which kept shifting from the bright, fluffy clouds, to a dark, stone courtyard. She gasped in pain as she looked behind, seeing Guthrie standing there. However, his appearance kept shifting between him and another person; a young man with silver hair, wearing an Organization's cloak and a blindfold. Who was he? Why was her head piercing with so much pain? Could this be a memory?

"There will be opponents where your magic and techniques will be worthless against (you can't fight fire with sparks)," Guthrie spoke, yet in Xion's ears, his voice was distorted, shifting from Guthrie's to the other person's. "You are a gifted Keyblade wielder (this Keyblade is a sham), but your natural skills need to be improved on (worthless)."

Xion's eyes were dilated and she couldn't understand. Guthrie's voice was saying one thing, but that other voice was saying something else. Something she was afraid of. Something she wished not to hear. Why was she hearing this? What did this mean?

"Xion-nee! Xion-nee!" Chopper cried out. Xion suddenly came back to reality at his voice. She was surrounded by her team, even Luffy and Ussop joined them. All of them were concerned at Xion's condition.

"Are you okay?" Nami asked her.

"Y-Yeah..." she muttered, falling back into a sitting position.

"You sure. You were completely out of it for a couple minutes," Ussop pointed out.

"You just knelt there, with the most scared expression I've ever seen," Zoro added.

"I... I just..." she muttered, still recalling what she had seen. "I don't know what happened. Sorry to make you worry."

"I'm sorry, too," Guthrie told her, getting in front and crouching down to her. "I might've gone a little too far. I apologize."

Xion recounted their fight and what words he said among the distortion of words. "No. You didn't say anything wrong. You're right. I might need to improve myself without the need of the skills of the Keyblade." She stood up once more, while everyone was looking at her with concern and confusion. Noticing their expressions, the vice-captain faked a smile. "I'm telling you guys, I'm fine! Seriously, no need to worry about me."

As she continued to fake an expression of assurance, she felt a hand on her shoulder and saw Guthrie look at her with concern. "As a counselor, we'll discuss what happened there some other time, okay? For now, let's just stop practice, and enjoy this place."

Xion could tell he was not fooling Guthrie at all with her faked innocence. He must be concerned with what she felt at that moment. Knowing she would need to confront this with him, she nodded in understanding.

Just then, they heard something that sounded like 'su'. The group turned and saw a small, white fox dashing to them.

"A fox?" Chirithy questioned.

The group then heard what sounded like a harp being played. They looked up and saw a figure standing on top of a boulder.

"Who is that?! The guerilla?!" Usopp asked, hiding behind Xion.

"The whistle! Blow the whistle! Have him save us!" Chopper said, referring to the Sky Knight as he also hid behind Xion, or tried to.

"No wait. It's not," Sanji corrected.

The figure was actually a young woman with long, braided blonde hair, wearing a pink dress, and have wings on her back. She stopped playing for a second before turning to the pirates. "Heso."

"What does 'heso' mean?" Chopper asked.

"Must be a greeting on Sky Island," Guthrie guessed.

"Su! Come!" the woman called. Her fox responded and went to her side. "Did you come here from the Blue Sea?"

"Yeah. We came up from down there," Luffy answered. "Do you live here?"

"Yes, I do. Welcome to Skypeia's Angel Beach. Would you like to drink that?" She gestured to the fruit under Luffy's arm. He nodded and gave her the green pumpkin-like fruit. "The top of a conasshu is as hard as steel. You can't bite through it. So from the underside..." She turned the fruit over, took the knife out and cut a hole in the middle. A straw was then inserted in it. "Here." She handed the fruit over to Luffy, who took a sip.

"It's goooood~!" Luffy sang.

"What?! It's that good?! Let me try!" Usopp took a sip and was just as happy with the taste.

"I'm Conis. This is Su, a Cloudfox," the woman introduced, picking up her pet. "Should you need anything, please let me be of service."

"Yes, about that. The look in your eyes has pierced my heart-"

Nami cut him off, knowing he was just going to try and sway Conis. "Move it," she said, pulling him away by the ear. "There's a lot we'd like to ask you. This place is just full of mysteries for us."

"Of course. Please ask me anything," Conis nodded.

Zoro looked out at the White-White Sea and saw something. "Hey. Something's coming."

Everyone looked at the direction he was looking at. Conis seemed to know who the figure was. "Oh! My father!"

"Conis-san, heso!" called a voice.

"Yes! Heso, father!" Conis called back.

"What are you guys talking about?" Luffy asked in great confusion.

"Conis, is 'heso' a form of greeting here?" Xion asked.

"Yes. That's right," she answered.

"Hey, what is that? That thing your father's riding?" Nami questioned.

"Ah, you mean the Waver?"

"Whoa! That looks cool!" Luffy stated.

"So that's a Waver..." the navigator said in awe.

"Yes, I'm sorry! I'll stop now!" Conis' father called. Rather than stopping, however, the waver still moved on shore at top speed and crashed into a nearby tree, much to the Straw Hats' shock and worries. "Is everyone all right?"

"WHAT ABOUT YOU?!" Zoro and Guthrie questioned.

"Hey, Luffy! Didn't you bring something like that up from the ocean floor?" Nami asked their captain.

"Yeah, I did," he answered, still drinking the fruit.

"So that's what Noland wrote about in his diary. A ship that sails without wind!"

"Oh, so it wasn't what I thought," Chirithy muttered, rubbing his head.

"Are these your friends, Conis-san?" Conis' father asked his daughter.

"Yeah. We just met," she answered. "They came from the Blue Sea."

"I see. That must have been a difficult journey. This is the White-White Sea. I'm sorry."

Taken aback by the sudden apology, Usopp said, "O-Oh no, it's cool."

"I haven't introduced myself. I'm Paguya. I'm sorry."

"Oh no, it's quite alright."

"Father. Did you catch any fish?" Conis asked.

"Yes. A good catch," Paguya answered. "Oh yes. Would you care to stop by my house? I'll treat you to a little of the happiness of the sky."

"Can we?! We'll go! We'll go!" Luffy immediately answered.

"That's fast!" Guthrie and Chirithy said in shock.

"You'll get use to it," Xion told them.

"A Sky Island cuisine?" Sanji asked. "Will you let me help you prepare it?"

Before Paguya can answer, Nami said, "But first, can I ask you something? This... doesn't have a sail to catch wind... And you weren't rowing it... How was it riding on the sea?"

"Oh. You don't know about Dials?" Conis asked back.

"Dials?" Luffy repeated in a questioned tone.

* * *

The next thing anyone knew, Luffy tried out the Waver. The moment he went out to sea with it, he couldn't stop the Waver from shaking and ended up, probably, crashing into something, causing him to fly off the Waver.

"Oh my!" Conis gasped.

"What a tragedy! I'm sorry for lending him my Waver!" Paguya apologized.

"Come to think of it, what happens to people with abilities in this sea?" Sanji asked.

"Oh yeah," Zoro seemed to have also realized. "This sea's different, right? Maybe he can handle it."

Zoro was proven wrong, for Luffy was sinking.

"He sank," Sanji deadpanned.

"No good, huh?" Zoro also deadpanned.

"OH NO!" Chopper and Chirithy went to help their captain out.

* * *

Minutes later, Xion was walking back to shore, with Chopper and Chirithy in one arm as she dragged Luffy with the other arm.

"Sometimes, I really do hate my bad habit," she muttered, for as soon as Chopper jumped into the sea, she may have gotten into her worried-and-overprotective-big-sister mode and just jumped right in, forgetting that she had flying Dream Eaters. Yeah, it was a big scare for her, until she remembered she has Dream Eaters who can fly.

"I am sorry for letting a beginner borrow it," Paguya apologized again. "The body of the Waver is very light. Even a small wave can move the rudder. Unless you know the sea well, you cannot expect to be able to ride it."

"I only recently became good enough to use it," Conis said.

"Is it that hard?" Chopper asked.

"With practice, it takes about 10 years," Paguya informed.

"THAT'S WAY TOO LONG!" Chirithy cried out.

"Though it looks like we have a prodigy," Guthrie said, looking out at the sea, where Nami was riding the Waver.

"SHE'S RIDING IT!" Usopp exclaimed in great shock.

"This is the best!" she shouted.

"Nami-san! You're the greatest~!" Sanji swooned.

"Oh my! This is quite extraordinary! I can hardly believe it!" Paguya exclaimed.

"How can she ride that thing?!" Luffy questioned, since he tried to ride it, only to instantly fall off.

"This thing does take a lot to control! It's so delicate it would be impossible for you, Luffy!" Nami said.

The Straw Hat captain didn't like what she said at all. "Oi, Nami! We're going to the Ossan's house! Get off now! YOU DORK!"

Sanji axe kicked him for the insult. "Don't say that to her!"

"YOU DORK!"

Nami simply ignored him as she continued to enjoy the ride. "Go on ahead! Ojisan, can I ride on it a little longer?!"

"Yes, take care!" Paguya answered. With that, everyone walked to Paguya and Conis' place.

"Is this a construction site?" Usopp asked.

"Oh. That's the cloud-cutting site. This is where clouds are cut to be used in manufacturing," Paguya explained.

"Can you even cut clouds?" Zoro asked.

"Looks like it," Xion replied, pointing at some clouds being cut into cube-shaped pieces.

"To get here to the White-White Sea, you came up the Milky Road, right?" Paguya asked them.

"You mean that spiral cloud belt?" Guthrie asked.

"Yes. That was manufactured using the Island Cloud cut from here. There are two natural kinds of clouds up here. The kind you used to sail your ship here is the Sea Cloud. And the fluffy cloud you're able to walk on is the Island Cloud."

"No matter how you look at it, it ain't normal," Zoro said.

"Yes. The solidification nucleus which produces each cloud is different. On the Blue Sea, there is something called the Kairoseiki, correct?"

"Kairoseiki? That has something to do with it?" Robin asked.

"Yes. It is found in Pyrobloin, a sulfur protein particle transported into the sky by volcanoes. When it reacts with water vapor, the differences in density determine whether Sea or Island Cloud will be formed."

"Oh. Of course, that," Luffy said, pretending to understand.

"Yeah, I know all about it. I used to play with those sulfur protein particles when I was a kid," Usopp lied, pretending to understand.

"You can't play with those!" Sanji corrected, as Xion whacked them with her Keyblade.

"And don't pretend to be smart when you're not!" she added.

"Well, anyway, the kinds of cloud you find here are Sea Cloud, Island Cloud and lastly the ones manufactured from Island Cloud," Paguya ended.

Eventually, the group arrived at Paguya's place. While most of them were in the living room, Sanji and Paguya were working in the kitchen. As they tried to relax, they could faintly hear Sanji screaming for some reason. Luffy and Usopp assumed he was just having fun in the kitchen, which the Keyblade wielders of the group doubted. Meanwhile, Robin requested Conis to explain to them a bit more about Dials.

"Let's see... How should I explain?" Conis wondered. She went over to pick up something and handed it to Luffy.

"What's this? You have seashells here?" he asked.

"Yes. Please try saying something to it," she instructed.

"Yosh." He took a few seconds to think of something to say. "Usopp's a dork!"

"Why, why, why did you say that?" the sniper in question asked.

Conis giggled for a bit before continuing her instructions. "Now try pressing the apex of the shell."

"What's an apex?" Luffy questioned.

"It's the top of the shell," Usopp answered, pressing down the spot.

To their shock, the shell repeated what Luffy and Usopp said just seconds earlier.

"AH! THE SHELL'S MAKING FUN OF USOPP!" Luffy freaked.

"And in your voice!" Usopp followed.

"Hey, that's really something. It recorded the sound," Zoro said in amazement.

"So that seashell is a Dial?" Robin asked.

"Yes. This is a Tone Dial," Conis identified. "It is able to record and replay sound. It is one of the shells of the White-White Sea."

"But the sea doesn't have a bottom here. So where do shellfish come from?" Guthrie asked.

"On the reefs in the shallows."

"But I don't see how that can move a Waver," Robin pointed out.

"True, but she said 'Dials' as in in general. Wouldn't that mean there are dials that can do something similar to Tone Dial? Like how it takes in sounds and replays it, there should be one that absorbs wind and releases it. Right?" Xion guessed.

"Yes. The propulsion of the Waver is this one," Conis said, picking up a different Dial. "This one isn't very large, but the principle is the same as the Tone Dial." She brought it up to a wind chime and pressed the apex, releasing some wind.

"So wind comes out of that one?" Usopp asked.

"Let me see that!" Luffy said.

Conis handed him the Dial. "This is a Breath Dial. It sucks in wind and releases it freely. The capacity varies depending on the size. But by putting this on the aft of a ship, it can move light ships."

"Like the Waver!" Chirithy said.

"I get it. So it was blowing wind out to move," Usopp summed up.

"That Waver's neat!" Luffy commented.

"There are many others. Skate types and board types, but the Waver is the only one I can handle," Conis said.

Luffy was watching Nami, who was still enjoying herself with Paguya's Waver, in envy. "I want to ride like Nami. And we have a Waver too..."

"You guys have a Waver?" Conis asked.

"Yeah. Mostly by accident though," Usopp replied. "We picked up an old, beat-up one. But after 200 years, it probably wouldn't move."

"That might not be the case. Dials are made from the remains of a shellfish. As long as the shell isn't broken, they will remain functional practically forever."

It was then Xion realized something. "So wait. Dials are seashells that takes in and releases different properties, right?"

"Yes, that's right. Why do you ask?"

Before Xion could answer, Usopp caught on to what she was going to say. "Oh yeah! We even found some Dials when we found the Waver."

"Seriously?" Guthrie asked, for this was the first time he heard of this.

"Oh yeah! I forgot about them!" Luffy exclaimed in realization. "Xion! You should bring them all here so we would know what they do!"

"After what one of them did to me, I'd rather not," she said.

"Dials are an integral part of our livelihood in the sky. And so, Sky Island's culture has evolved with the Dials' energy," Conis explained.

"I see," Robin said.

It was then Sanji and Paguya came into the room with the food they prepared.

"All right, it's ready! Full-Course Sky Island Special Catch with Fruit," the pirate chef introduced. The group dug into the meal, enjoying themselves. Sanji looked out the balcony and noticed Nami was missing. "Oi! Where's Nami-san?"

"She's there in the sea," Luffy replied.

"No she's not."

"Then she probably went out exploring," Usopp said. "She can handle herself."

For some reason, Conis and Paguya seemed worried.

"Father, will she be okay?" the former asked.

"Yes, Conis-san. I also feel a bit unsettled," the latter replied.

"Is there something we should know?" Guthrie asked, noticing their worried looks.

"Here in Skypiea, there is a place where you must never, ever set foot on no matter the circumstances," Conis explained. "That place is adjacent to this island and could easily be reached with the Waver."

"What do you mean 'never, ever set foot on'?" Xion asked.

"It is sacred ground. We call that place... The Land Where God Resides, Upper Yard."


	9. Trouble in the Sky

**Coral: Due to the long wait, I decided to make this chapter extra long for you all. Do enjoy what happens here~**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or Kingdom Hearts. I do not own Guthrie and, soon to join, Allen. Well, actually I kind of do own him.**

* * *

 ** _*OPENING*_**

 _ **Let's fly to the sky**  
(The sun rises as Merry sails across the ocean)_  
 _ **There's not a single cloud in the sky  
** (All the current Straw Hats watched the sun rises, Luffy on the figurehead)_

 _ **Let's fly to the sky. (It's time to fly around) Catch the perfect breeze for you  
** (The camera faces the sky as the title appears on the screen) **  
Paint the sky with (Let's go to the wonder world) imagination that no one's ever seen  
** (Camera faces back to the Going Merry as everyone went on with their peaceful business)_

 _ **OH! OH! Even if it's too dazzling (Come on)  
** (Xion looked up and saw Marines ahead of them and warned everyone) **  
OH! OH! under the sun**_  
 _(They all prepared themselves for battle. Marines fired cannon balls at them) **  
OH! OH! If it's you, you can make it! Throw away your pride and FLY!  
** (Luffy, Zoro and Sanji sent the cannons back at them. Usopp fired a cannon of their own with Xion, in her Wisdom Form, unleashed Triple Firaga at them, followed by a Thundaga, clearing their path)_

 _ **Everyday is plain!** **  
Real talent makes the world go round**_  
 _(Going Merry sailed through the smoke. Everyone looked content as they enjoyed the sea breeze) **  
Deceit won't work anymore.  
** (Scene changed to Jaya in Mock Town, as camera faced each of the Blackbeard Pirates.) **  
Mayday, the red light is stopping you too  
** (Scene changed to Cricket's home, showing Cricket with Masira and Shojo side by side.)_

 _ **Lend me an ear! And I'm gonna stick on my RAP! Wussup!  
** (Guthrie fights against some pirates and Heartless. One tried to sneak up on him and Chirithy knocked it away.)_  
 _ **"From tomorrow on I'll get serious!"- seriously cut it out with excuses like that  
** (Allen danced as he dodged the attacks of the pirates and attacked them at the same time)_  
 _ **Increase your money with your dream! Time is money like NASDAQ!  
** (The Straw Hats looked at Cricket's gold and searched for the South Bird) **  
When will you do it boy? It's now or never man! This is the moment, right?  
** (The crew then arrived at the Knock Up Stream and went to the skies.)_

 _ **Everybody put ya hands in the air and clap ya hands like this like that**_  
 _ **Clap ya hands everybody! Everybody just clap ya hands!  
** (Scenes quickly changed to different scenes. Xion and Guthrie crossed blades, Luffy's one-hit KO on Bellamy, the group trying to catch the South Bird, then finally their first encounter with the Shandia Warriors)_

 _ **Let's fly to the sky (It's time to fly around) Catch the perfect breeze for you  
** (The Straw Hat Pirates arrived on Skypiea and were approached by the White Berets and fought them) **  
Paint the sky with (Let's go to the wonder world) imagination that no one's ever seen  
** (Scene changed to the group in the Upper Yard fighting against Heartless, Shandians and Priests)_

 _ **OH! OH! Even if it's too dazzling (Come on)  
** (Scene changed to Xion fighting against a blonde Organization XIII member with knives and lightning magic) **  
OH! OH! under the sun  
** (Changed to Guthrie and Allen teaming up against the Nobodies)_ _ **  
OH! OH! If it's you, you can make it! Throw away your pride and FLY!  
** (Changed to Luffy battling Enel. In a flash of light, opening ends with all of Straw Hats on Merry, facing the camera)_

* * *

 _Last time:_

 _"Is there something we should know?" Guthrie asked, noticing their worried looks._

 _"Here in Skypiea, there is a place where you must never, ever set foot on no matter the circumstances," Conis explained. "That place is adjacent to this island and could easily be reached with the Waver."_

 _"What do you mean 'never, ever set foot on'?" Xion asked._

 _"It is sacred ground. We call that place... The Land Where God Resides, Upper Yard."_

* * *

"A God lives there?!" Luffy asked. "In the place where you must never, ever set foot?!"

Xion didn't know why, but she was having a bad feeling all of a sudden. ' _Why do I have a horrible feeling?_ '

"By 'God', do you mean _the_ God? God lives on Sky Island?" Chopper asked.

"Yes. Because Skypiea is God's land, it is ruled by the almighty God Enel," Conis explained. "God Enel knows everything that goes on in this world."

"Everything?!" Usopp asked.

Conis nodded in reply. "He watches over us, always."

"Always?!"

"Even now?!" Luffy asked.

"Of course," the Skypiean nodded.

"Eh?! He's watching over us at this very moment?!" Chopper asked.

"Hmph. God, huh," Zoro simply spoke, calmly drinking his water.

"You don't believe in God?" Guthrie asked.

"Dunno. Don't care whether God exists or not. It's never mattered to me one bit. Well, not that I have anything against anyone who wants to believe. What about you?"

"Well, I believe there's only one God."

"That's quite vague," Chirithy stated.

"Still though, to think there's a God living in the Upper Yard," Xion said.

"Conis-chan, have you ever seen him?" Sanji asked.

"No! I've never seen him!" she answered. "We cannot set foot on Upper Yard! Ever. The sacred ground, Upper Yard, is forbidden."

"Is that right?" Luffy asked. Xion looked and saw an excited look on his face. "A place we must never, ever set foot, huh?"

' _Oh no!_ ' Xion thought.

Usopp turned and also noticed the look on his captain's face, causing him to pale. "Oi, Luffy! What the hell are you thinking right now?! Listen to what she's saying! 'Must never set foot on' means you ABSOLUTELY must not go there, Luffy!"

"Idiot! That's going to make him want to go even more!" the Vice-Captain of the crew scolded.

"Is that right~? A place we must never, ever set foot, huh?" Luffy said again.

Guthrie and Chirithy paled and they turned to Zoro and said, "Adventurous type?"

"That would be an understatement," the swordsman answered.

' _So he definitely wants to go,_ ' they thought.

"But, even if you're not allowed to go there, God will still forgive you if you do, right? He's nice, right?" Luffy then asked.

"But... breaking a law the God has created is sacrilege," Conis said.

"Is that so? Well, whatever." Luffy continued to enjoy the meal Sanji and Pagaya prepared.

' _He's too reckless!_ ' Chirithy thought in disbelief.

' _Had he thought about the possibility that the God might kill us?_ ' Guthrie thought, also in disbelief.

Xion noticed the looks they had and shook her head. ' _We're going to die here, aren't we?_ '

"So, what are the consequences of entering this forbidden Upper Yard?" Robin asked.

"You will not return alive, we believe," Pagaya answered.

"W-Won't return alive?!" Usopp repeated with a gasp.

Sanji was too speechless at those words, now really worried about a certain missing member of their crew.

"You're worried about Nami-san, aren't you?" Pagaya guessed. "It's best if she does not get too close to the Upper Yard."

Incredibly worried, Sanji turned to the open white sea, or open clouds, and cried out Nami's name.

"Let's go! We'll go find Nami!" Luffy suggested with a grin.

"Is Nami really a part of your plan?!" Usopp demanded, shaking the rubber human.

"You just want to enter that forbidden place, don't you?!" Chirithy questioned.

"I'm starting to wonder if my life is worth joining this crew," Guthrie stated.

"Trust me, I think the same thing everyday," Xion said.

* * *

Later, the group was back on the Going Merry, getting ready to set sail.

"Yosh! Let's set sail! To the place we must never, ever set foot on!" Luffy ordered/cheered.

Pagaya, who was still on shore, was measuring the wind blowing and informed, "Ah, I'm sorry! There's a headwind right now! With this wind, it would take a considerable amount of time to reach Upper Yard! I'm sorry!" Everyone gasped in shock at the information. "It wouldn't take as long if your ship were powered by Dial energy. I'm sorry."

"Just how long is considerable?" Sanji asked.

"I don't know. Until the wind comes around..."

"Ossan. Isn't there any other way we can get there? If we don't hurry, Nami will come back," Luffy questioned.

' _Please hurry up and return,_ ' the Keyblade wielders of the crew and Chirithy mentally prayed, as they closed their eyes and crossed their fingers. As they prayed, Usopp scolded Luffy for his true intentions.

The next thing they knew, Luffy was off the ship with the broken waver they found in his hands, eagerly wanting to go to Upper Yard. The next thing they knew, he tried to ride it. Like how he did with Pagaya's, actually worse than that, the moment he stepped on the waver in the white water, he and the vessel itself fell.

"That idiot!" Zoro exclaimed.

"See what I mean?! Didn't you hear me?!" Usopp demanded, as Luffy was sinking faster.

"What do we do? He's sinking again," Chopper asked.

"Leave him," all the other male pirates answered.

Chirithy looked to the side and noticed someone missing. "Huh? Where's Xion?"

That question had most of the pirates who had answered Chopper's question to gasp with a jaw drop.

"Why does she have to have that bad habit of her's?!" Usopp demanded, already guessing where she went.

"It's too late anyway," Zoro mumbled.

* * *

Minutes later, a soaking Xion came back with a bloated Luffy. "You are such a stupid pain in the ass," she stated, hitting his stomach hard enough to get the water out of him.

"So this is your old waver," Pagaya inspected. "It really is worn out, isn't it?"

"We found it in the sea below your's," Usopp explained.

"If you wouldn't mind, may I take a look at it? If it can be fixed, I shall fix it."

"You can fix it, Ossan?!" Luffy asked.

"Oh no," Guthrie muttered.

"I am a Dial-ship engineer," Pagaya said.

"Really?! Then hurry up and-!"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence with that expression and tone!" Xion scolded, stomping the remaining water out of him. "Though I do agree that that thing needs to be fixed if possible."

* * *

As the group now wait for Pagaya to fix the waver, or for the wind to blow in the direction they want to go to, they all relaxed at Angel Beach.

"You think Nami's going to come back soon?" Chirithy asked, as he, Guthrie and Xion decided to play a simple card game while they wait.

"Who knows. But she's one of the smart ones among us. She should come back soon," Xion said. "And tell me again why I'm playing Poker with you two."

"Well, as much as I'd like to help you improve your swordsmanship, I'd also not want that little panic attack to happen," Guthrie explained, as he discarded three cards and drew three. "This place is peaceful after all. Might as well enjoy it while you can. It'll help calm your mind. That, and you could consider this as a lesson and a test. Of luck and strategy."

Xion nodded at his reason, as she discarded two cards and drew two different cards. Chirithy followed up with discarding and drawing the same amount as her.

"Three of a kind," the Dream Eater said, putting down his hand.

"Two pairs," the male Keyblade wielder followed.

"Flush," the female wielder followed after him.

"Suspicious-looking ship! Stop right there!" they heard a shout. They turned and saw a group of people marching down to the beach. Once they reach the bottom, for some reason, the group crawled the rest of the way to them.

"Why are they crawling the rest of the way to us?" Chirithy asked.

"Don't know. We should probably get down there," Guthrie suggested. The other two nodded at the suggestion and joined Luffy, Sanji, Chopper, and Usopp on shore.

When the group of soldiers were close enough, the one at the front shouted for them to halt. They then got back up on their feet and greeted Conis and Pagaya with a 'Heso', both who greeted them back.

"What the hell are you guys saying?!" Luffy asked.

"Luffy, show some respect," Xion scolded, hitting the captain of her's on the head.

"Who're they?" Zoro asked, awakened from his nap.

"You are the nine illegal entrants from the Blue Sea, correct?!" the suppose-leader of the group of soldiers asked. Everyone was a bit confused at the question. "We are here to bestow Heaven's Judgement upon you!"

Conis and Pagaya were really shocked to hear that.

"Illegal entrants? What's that mean?" Luffy asked.

"I-Is that true?" Pagaya asked instead of answering his question.

"There's no use denying it," the leader of the soldiers said. "The Heaven's Gate lookout, Amazon, has sent us these photos, taken with her Vision Dial." He took out a stack of photos, each containing a picture of each of the Straw Hats.

"No! That's not possible! There must be a mistake, Captain McKinley! They are not bad people!" Pagaya tried to reason.

Guthrie placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's fine, Pagaya-san."

"What are you talking about? Besides, what does he mean illegal entrants?" Sanji asked.

"Remember back at the gate? When we were told to pay the extol?" Xion pointed out.

"Huh?! But that old lady said we can pass without paying!" Usopp recalled.

"No excuses. Just accept your guilt," McKinley said. "However, there is no need to worry. Illegal entry is a minor, Class-11 crime punishable by Heaven's Judgement. Once you've received your punishment, you will be returned to the status of peaceful tourists."

"Well why didn't you say so earlier?" Sanji questioned. "I still don't like this but what's the punishment?"

"It's a simple matter. Pay ten times the immigration fee. If you pay the fee immediately, your crime will be written straight off. Ten billion extol per person, so that's ninety billion extol in total."

"But you see, sir, that's kind of the problem," Xion spoke up.

"What? You don't have the extol?"

"That's not it. You see this is the first time we came to a sky island, and we didn't know the currency was different. We tried asking at the gate about extol, but your lookout told us we can just pass through without paying. She didn't tell us what the price was in belli."

"Belli? That's the Blue Sea currency, isn't it? I believe ten thousand extol is one belli."

Usopp tried to calculate the amount in his head.

"If it's ninety billion extol, then it's nine million in belli," Robin calculated for him.

"That's too much! I could buy tons of rice with that!" Sanji complained. "Why do we have to pay such a ridiculous amount after risking our lives to get here?! It's unac-!"

Guthrie placed a hand in front of the chef. "Calm down," he told him.

"How can I when they are demanding for something unreasonable?!"

"What are you saying? You should've just paid the original nine hundred thousand belli at the gate," McKinley simply said.

"That's still-!"

"Sanji! Leave this to me!" The chef backed down from what would've been a fight. Turning to McKinley, Guthrie then said, "Look, sir. There's something you don't seem to understand. We were never told of the currency up here in the first place. When we first arrived at the gate, your lookout failed to inform us about the extol to belli currency. Not only that, she also gave us misleading information, stating that we can still come up here without paying the fee."

"I believe I had said you are in no position in making excuses," the soldier said.

"You misunderstand me. This isn't me making excuses, but rather explaining to you why we didn't pay the fee." The male Keyblade wielder saw he was getting nowhere with the guy. "Think of it this way. You are in a new land, one that has a currency different from what you're used to. You hear there's a fee at a really high price for being there and wanted to know how much it is in the currency you're used to. But instead of getting a straight answer, you were told to not worry about it. Then later on, you find yourself on a wanted poster just because you didn't pay the fee, simply due to the fact that you don't know how much the fee was in your currency." That explanation was starting to get to McKinley that time.

"When you put it that way, I suppose you're being reasonable. And your friend there said this is your first time in the White-White Sea, right?" he asked.

"Yes, that's right," Xion answered.

"Then I suppose we can just let you off with a written warning. However, you still must pay the nine hundred thousand belli."

"You're still being unreasonable!" Sanji shouted. This earned him a punch to the face by Xion.

"Shut up! We're not looking for further conflict with these guys!" she scolded.

"Was that punch necessary?!" Chirithy asked.

"Yes, Xion-swan~" the chef swooned in a dazed tone.

This left the Dream Eater and his master in silence.

"I don't think we need to worry about that," the latter said.

"I guess so," the former agreed.

"In any case, I'll go and see if I have that amount in my safe," Xion said, heading back to the ship. "And while I'm gone, Guthrie, please make sure he doesn't do anything stupid." She pointed at Luffy when she said that.

"Why me?!" the captain demanded.

"Because you're the one who always gets us into trouble!" she reasoned, whacking him on the head, burying it in the cloud beneath him. Turning back to Guthrie while rubbing her temple, she once again requested, "Please just make sure they don't get into any trouble. I've a really bad feeling about what will happen if they do."

"Sure... Got it," he nodded. Now having her worries at ease, Xion went back to the Merry to check her safe.

* * *

 _ ***FIVE MINUTES LATER***_

After remembering when she hid her safe, to prevent Nami from finding it, and remembering the code she had for it, in case if Nami found it and tries to break it open somehow, Xion finally opened the safe and got the money out. Imagine her surprise when the first thing she saw was, other than Nami returning, McKinley was on the beach, hurt and unconscious.

"What the hell happened while I was gone?!" she shouted.

"Do you realize what you've done to our captain?!" one of the soldiers questioned her friends.

Sanji seemed to have gotten a bit pissed off from where Xion was seeing. Nami calmed him down, preventing him from saying anything that may anger them even further. "Don't be so upset. That was by chance," she reasoned with the soldiers. "How should I put it... I unintentionally... It was like an accident... Oh yes! It was an accident! An accident! Because it's hard to actually control and ride a waver, right? On top of that, today was my first time riding one. So I made a little mistake while turning the handles. I'm so clumsy, aren't I? I guess beginners shouldn't push too hard, after all, right?"

' _Oh... So for once it wasn't Luffy who was causing trouble,_ ' Xion thought.

Just when she thought that, Luffy went and blurted out that Nami could ride it fairly well and was having the time of her life.

"Oh, the time of her life," Guthrie spoke. He wrapped his arm around Luffy's neck, almost strangling him. "You and your stupid eyes, Luffy! Never knowing the difference between happy and scared expressions. Nami, although had managed to stay on the waver for so long, was NOT having fun and she was having trouble with the waver."

At this point, Xion was kneeling down by McKinley's side. "Shouldn't you guys be treating your captain?" she asked.

"Ah! That's right!" one of them agreed.

Sighing, Xion used her Cure Magic on the unconscious man. "I've healed him somewhat, so at least he won't wake up with a concussion, but you should still give him some treatment. Oh. And here's our fee."

"Thank you very much! Heso!" the soldiers bowed and saluted, taking the fee Xion had in her hands and McKinley to Pagaya's house, in which the latter had offered. As they left, they turned to the rest of the Straw Hats and told them all to remain in their spot. As they left, Conis advised them to leave Skypeia. She then followed after her father and the White Berets.

As soon as they were out of sight, Nami said, "We should do as she said. I saw it with my own eyes. An island with these scary guys on it!"

Usopp and Chopper flinched at those words.

"So you did go to what they called the forbidden sacred ground," Zoro said.

"And here we were, hoping you didn't go to the place no one was to set foot on," Guthrie sighed.

Luffy's face was sparkling as he heard the words 'forbidden' and 'scary'. The male scaredy cats of the group tried to get him to forget what was just heard.

"Gods... Guerillas... That place is no good for sure!" Nami stated. "In any case, we're leaving! Leaving!"

"Before that though..." Xion spoke, approaching the happy-go-lucky pirate. The next thing anyone knew, she hit him hard on the head. "What the hell, Luffy?! I was gone for five minutes! FIVE minutes! And something tells me, from those guys' reactions, that within those five minutes you did and said something stupid before Nami came back! I've a feeling one of those stupid things is telling them you'll kick their asses for saying things you don't want to hear!"

"That's kind of what happened," Chirithy confirmed.

After beating up the foolish pirate, Xion wiped away some sweat from her head. "In any case, like Nami said, we have to get out of here. We stay any longer, Payaga and Conis will be in just as much trouble as we already are."

"Xion's right," Guthrie agreed. "Those White Berets will think they're our accomplices. At the very least, it will lessen whatever punishment they will give those two if we leave without their help."

"Okay! That settles it then! Let's go!" Usopp declared.

Few minutes later, a few members were already on board, while the rest were still on Angel Beach... waiting for Luffy to get moving.

"What are you doing, Luffy?!" Nami demanded.

"Why are we running away?" the captain asked.

"Because we'll be in big trouble!"

"We're always in big trouble."

"Like I said, it's not just us; those two may get arrested too!"

"But they did nothing wrong. The one who arrests them is wrong," Luffy stubbornly said, though he did have a point.

"Luffy isn't going to move from that spot, is he?" Guthrie asked.

"I should've dragged him on board when I had the chance," Xion muttered.

"How did you end up on this ship again?" Chirithy dared ask.

"That's what I'd like to know."

"Please run!" came Conis' voice.

The group turned to the source and saw her and her father with the White Berets, along with the recovered McKinley.

"You shouldn't, Miss," the Captain said. "If you say something that defends criminals, you too are also going to pay. As you know, these people are felons who should be sentenced to be banished to the clouds as punishment for their fifth degree crime, caused by their abusive language toward us along with their obstruction of our official duties."

Hearing those words made Xion wonder, again, ' _What the hell did they do while I was gone? And for five minutes no less._ '

"Like I said, it was an accident!" Nami reasoned again. She grabbed Luffy's arm and made an attempt to rush back to the ship, when the White Berets aimed their arrows.

"FIRE! Milky Arrows!" McKinley ordered. The other soldiers fired at will. The arrows they fired left paths of clouds, all that Luffy dodged. To his surprise, they then rode on the cloudy paths with what seemed like skates.

Seeing them ride on the clouds made Xion widened her eyes in shock. ' _That's..._ ' Before she knew it, though quite faint, a memory triggered in her head.

In the faint memory, she saw herself walking in the middle of a forest or a jungle. By her side, was a person. Due to how faint the memory was, she couldn't make out the figure, but she did see herself... smiling at whoever was with her.

"A memory?" she silently muttered. Looking back at the fight, she saw that the Monster Trio had defeated the White Berets.

"You fools. You can't go back now," they all heard. "You should've just behaved and done what I told you to. We, the White Berets, are the gentlest upholders of the law in God's Land. However, _they_ are not as nice as we are!"

"'They'?" Chirithy asked, a bit frightened.

"You are now class-two criminals! No matter if you cry or scream, you'll be judged by the priests of Upper Yard! Heso!"

Yeah... They were in deep shit now.

* * *

After that little scene with the White Berets, the Straw Hat Pirates were back on Angel Beach again, going over what had just occurred.

"To think we would get in this much trouble," Guthrie spoke.

"Not even a day passed wince we arrived," Chirithy added.

"But that old lady said so, didn't she?!" Nami questioned. "'You can still pass,' she said. Now we're here and they're calling it illegal entry?! That's a fraud! I'll sue them for this!"

"I've a feeling that old lady doesn't know how to do her job that well. And besides, we wouldn't be in this situation if we had time to know about how the currency goes here," Xion pointed out.

"Yeah. You people are all so impatient," Usopp said.

Hearing that made his vice captain and counselor mad. "YOU WERE ONE OF THE TWO WHO TOLD HER WE WERE STILL GOING!"

"Nevertheless, this is still a terrible predicament," Pagaya spoke. "As you are now Class-2 criminals, we cannot be of help."

"Why are you talking from so far away?" Nami asked, for he and Conis are at a distance where they're voices can only be heard if they shout.

"Well, it doesn't really matter. We're used to being chased," Luffy said with a goofy smile on his face. "More importantly, why did you come back? We were finally about to go to the place we're never to enter for a big ad- I mean, to find you."

Try as he might, he was too easy to read. "You're so easy to figure out..." Nami said. As she hit him repeatedly, she then said, "What big adventure?! I told you, didn't I?! You can say that because you haven't seen how strong those people from that island are! It's true that we don't know if this guy is God or what, but his supernatural powers are the real thing! I will never go back to that island! You hear?!"

"She really needs to grow some kind of back bone," Guthrie said.

"She's not the only one," Xion muttered in agreement, referring to one or two other individuals in their crew.

"Okay. We'll go and you stay here," Luffy said, as if it was the answer to everything.

"No! They're gonna come after me! We have to leave now!" the navigator of the group corrected.

"Leave here?! Are you stupid?! What's more important to you, adventure or life?!"

"LIFE! Then money!" She smacked his head to the ground, it got stuck in the clouds. After that, Sanji tried to swoon her, only to get hit and land a couple of feet away.

"Now that you mentioned it, how do we get back to the Blue Sea?" Chirithy asked.

Everyone went silent at that question, realizing they had no knowledge of how to return to their normal sea.

"Is there a way we can go back to the Blue Sea?" Usopp asked Conis and Pagaya.

"There is a way. Though at this point, I can't really guarantee it to be safe," the former of the two answered. "You could go to Cloud End, the farthest edge of the clouds. Cloud End is in the far east. To get there, you need to go down to the White Sea first."

"Good! Then we can go back down to our sea from there, right?" Usopp happily asked.

"No way. I'm not going back," Luffy stubbornly declined.

"Hey, do you want to stay here and get sentenced to death?!"

"In any case, if we stay here, it'll cause more trouble for Conis and Pagaya," Nami added on.

"Well, even if we do run away, we might not be able to get away from them. Especially since we have to stick around a bit longer for the Log Pose to reset," Guthrie pointed out.

Nami clicked her tongue at the reminder. "You're right. But at the very least, we should be away from this part of Skypeia." With that said, everyone returned to the ship.

Just as they were about to return, Luffy asked Pagaya if they can take the rest of the meal he and Sanji had prepared earlier. Being the kind man he was, the guy said yes. Sanji took the chance to 'say his final goodbyes' to Conis and Usopp wanted some materials for Merry's repair.

"You guys! Get the ship ready for adventure!" Luffy 'ordered'. Xion sweatdropped at those words.

"Those guys are really scary!" Nami told the rest of the crew.

"Who cares? I don't," Zoro said.

"Yeah, princess. Get a grip," Guthrie told her.

"Chopper~ You're on my side, right?" the navigator asked the man-reindeer, who flinched at her tone.

"Please don't threaten him," the female Keyblade wielder said. "In any case, I should go with the other three. Just to make sure they don't get us in any more trouble than we already are."

Nami nodded in agreement to the idea. "Please do so, Xion."

"Guthrie! Go with her!" Chirithy told his partner.

"Why? She can handle herself against those White Berets. Besides, I doubt God will risk harming his people," he said, climbing up the rope ladder Robin brought down.

After half the crew got on, they were about to prepare the ship to sail, when Conis came.

"So there's a special cloud current that can take us down to the White Sea?" Nami asked.

"Yes. By getting on that cloud, you can cross the vast ocean and go to the White Sea. And you can also get to Cloud End without getting lost," the Skypeian resident nodded. "As long as you get on that current, no one can come after you."

"If we don't tell Luffy and get Going Merry on that current..." Nami's eyes started to sparkle at the one chance of leaving unnoticed, by Luffy that is.

"By the time he notices, it'll be too late, huh?" Chopper said.

"But that doesn't mean he'll give up on it," Robin pointed out.

"Considering there are other ways we can come back up here that is," Guthrie agreed with the archeologist.

Nami glared at the latter two for pointing that out.

"I can guide you to the entrance of the current on a waver," Conis offered.

"So our job is to prevent Luffy from noticing then," Chirithy said.

"We can take care of it," Nami said with confidence.

"Then please weigh anchor and wait for me." With that, Conis took her leave. As she left, Robin and Guthrie couldn't help but feel a bit suspicious to the girl.

* * *

 _ ***WITH LUFFY AND THE OTHERS***_

Xion was helping the guys pack up their lunch at Pagaya's place. As they packed, Luffy was stealing a bunch of bites.

"Luffy! Stop stealing out lunch!" Usopp scolded.

"But there's a lot! So don't hold back!" Luffy said.

"You're the one who should hold back!" Sanji scolded.

"He's right. You're lucky I have over enough money to pay for that fee," Xion said. "If I recall, Nami had a little over fifty thousand belli on her."

"How can we be so low?! As your captain, I order you to not waste-!"

"You're the reason why we're so low on money!" Xion, Sanji and Usopp shouted at his face, not giving him time to finish his sentence.

"I also brought some tea, if you like," Pagaya offered.

Luffy didn't hold back and got himself a cup.

Xion sighed as she went to the balcony, looking out for the priests McKinley had spoke of. ' _I can't shake off this bad feeling I'm getting,_ ' she thought.

' ** _Don't leave yet..._** ' she then heard.

Her eyes widened at the voice. ' _That sounds like-!_ '

' ** _Please... Don't leave yet..._** '

' ** _We want to go back... Back to the Blue Sea!_** '

The female Keyblade wielder groaned at her luck. ' _Why of all places...? Now what? I can't leave without the Dream Eaters. But at the same time, we have to watch out for the priests._ ' Just then, she saw a pair of red lights in the clouds, near Going Merry. ' _Huh? What was that?_ '

The next thing she knew, the ship was rocking, as though it was under attack.

"Hey! Something's wrong with the ship!" Usopp informed, also noticing something wrong with the Going Merry.

"What?!" Sanji gasped.

"He's right! Merry is rocking!" Xion said.

"A party? No fair, having a party without us!" Luffy whined.

"Can you stop thinking like a child already?!"

Sanji was looking through a telescope. "Ah! Nami-san! Why... Why is she wearing a t-shirt?!"

Usopp hit him for missing the huge point. "Just where the heck is your mind at?!"

"Hey! The ship started moving!" Luffy said, as they watched Merry sailing away, with a strange shadow below it. "What are they doing?! Where are they going?!"

Xion noticed something else that was weird about Merry. "Wait a second. Is Merry going backwards?!"

The boys noticed that it was true; Going Merry was moving backwards.

"That's awesome! She's sailing backwards!" Luffy exclaimed.

"No wait! They didn't set sail at all! Look underneath the ship!" Usopp corrected, noticing the sails were furled and the shadow in the cloud below Merry.

* * *

 _ ***BACK ON MERRY***_

Those who were on the merry were all confused as to how the ship was moving. Some assumed they were already on the current.

"Hey wait! Look in the cloud!" Chirithy shouted.

The group looked down and saw a huge lobster emerged, its claws tightly gripping Merry's fake and broken wings.

"It's trying to take us somewhere!" Zoro stated. "Everyone get off the ship! There's still time!"

"But what about the ship?!" Chopper asked.

"I'll stay behind!"

"Wait a second! What are you going to do?!" Nami demanded.

"I'll manage something!" Zoro jumped off the ship, Wado in his mouth. He then started to cut the lobster, or at least attempt to. Seconds later, cracks started to form.

Guthrie looked back to shore and saw something. "Zoro stop! It's not going to work!" he shouted.

"Huh?! What are you saying?!" the swordsman demanded.

"Look over there!" Zoro looked where he was pointing and what seemed like sea serpents chasing after them. "You kill this thing, those serpents will eat us."

"Even if we could defeat them, another patch will probably arrive soon," Robin added.

"So wait! You mean that Heaven's Judgement thing already started?!" Chirithy asked.

"So instead of sending people after us, they're bringing us in," Zoro said in understanding. "What an impudent guy..."

Nami sighed, since it meant she was retuning to that dangerous island. "LUFFY! USOPP! SANJI-KUN! XION!"

* * *

 _ ***BACK AT PAGAYA'S PLACE***_

Everyone was shocked at what had just occurred.

"Why..." Sanji spoke. "Why a t-shirt?"

"You're still talking about that?!" Usopp questioned, hitting the hopeless blonde.

"Now what do we do, Luffy?" Xion dared to ask.

"... Where'd they go?" the even more hopeless captain asked back.

Just when Xion was about to scold him for asking such a stupid question, the Blue Sea dwellers all realized they didn't know exactly where their friends were taken.

"The Super-Express Lobster is a messenger for God," Pagaya informed. "What it transports is always an offering to God. So, it's headed to northeast Upper Yard, to the sacrificial altar."

"Sacrifice?! Nami-san, Robin-chan and the rest will be sacrificed?!" Sanji asked. Usopp smacked him for putting the rest of the guys as 'the rest'.

"That's not entirely true. I've heard, although it's called sacrifice, in Heaven's Judgement, there are two kinds of punishment that criminals receive. Sacrifice and an ordeal. They're currently hostages, so to speak, in God's hands."

Xion raised a brow at the last sentence. "Hostages? So then..."

Pagaya nodded, catching on to her assumption. "The ones who are actually being judge... are the four of you."


	10. To the Sacrificial Altar

**It's finally Summer Break for me~! Which means I can relax and do my updates more smoothly~! If the weather isn't too hot that is, then I'll most likely lose some motivation because of the heat. Now, that out of the way, do enjoy this chapter~!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or Kingdom Hearts. I do not own Guthrie and, soon to join, Allen. Well, actually I kind of do own him.**

* * *

 ** _*OPENING*_**

 _ **Let's fly to the sky**  
(The sun rises as Merry sails across the ocean)_  
 _ **There's not a single cloud in the sky  
** (All the current Straw Hats watched the sun rises, Luffy on the figurehead)_

 _ **Let's fly to the sky. (It's time to fly around) Catch the perfect breeze for you  
** (The camera faces the sky as the title appears on the screen) **  
Paint the sky with (Let's go to the wonder world) imagination that no one's ever seen  
** (Camera faces back to the Going Merry as everyone went on with their peaceful business)_

 _ **OH! OH! Even if it's too dazzling (Come on)  
** (Xion looked up and saw Marines ahead of them and warned everyone) **  
OH! OH! under the sun**_  
 _(They all prepared themselves for battle. Marines fired cannon balls at them) **  
OH! OH! If it's you, you can make it! Throw away your pride and FLY!  
** (Luffy, Zoro and Sanji sent the cannons back at them. Usopp fired a cannon of their own with Xion, in her Wisdom Form, unleashed Triple Firaga at them, followed by a Thundaga, clearing their path)_

 _ **Everyday is plain!** **  
Real talent makes the world go round**_  
 _(Going Merry sailed through the smoke. Everyone looked content as they enjoyed the sea breeze) **  
Deceit won't work anymore.  
** (Scene changed to Jaya in Mock Town, as camera faced each of the Blackbeard Pirates.) **  
Mayday, the red light is stopping you too  
** (Scene changed to Cricket's home, showing Cricket with Masira and Shojo side by side.)_

 _ **Lend me an ear! And I'm gonna stick on my RAP! Wussup!  
** (Guthrie fights against some pirates and Heartless. One tried to sneak up on him and Chirithy knocked it away.)_  
 _ **"From tomorrow on I'll get serious!"- seriously cut it out with excuses like that  
** (Allen danced as he dodged the attacks of the pirates and attacked them at the same time)_  
 _ **Increase your money with your dream! Time is money like NASDAQ!  
** (The Straw Hats looked at Cricket's gold and searched for the South Bird) **  
When will you do it boy? It's now or never man! This is the moment, right?  
** (The crew then arrived at the Knock Up Stream and went to the skies.)_

 _ **Everybody put ya hands in the air and clap ya hands like this like that**_  
 _ **Clap ya hands everybody! Everybody just clap ya hands!  
** (Scenes quickly changed to different scenes. Xion and Guthrie crossed blades, Luffy's one-hit KO on Bellamy, the group trying to catch the South Bird, then finally their first encounter with the Shandia Warriors)_

 _ **Let's fly to the sky (It's time to fly around) Catch the perfect breeze for you  
** (The Straw Hat Pirates arrived on Skypiea and were approached by the White Berets and fought them) **  
Paint the sky with (Let's go to the wonder world) imagination that no one's ever seen  
** (Scene changed to the group in the Upper Yard fighting against Heartless, Shandians and Priests)_

 _ **OH! OH! Even if it's too dazzling (Come on)  
** (Scene changed to Xion fighting against a blonde Organization XIII member with knives and lightning magic) **  
OH! OH! under the sun  
** (Changed to Guthrie and Allen teaming up against the Nobodies)_ _ **  
OH! OH! If it's you, you can make it! Throw away your pride and FLY!  
** (Changed to Luffy battling Enel. In a flash of light, opening ends with all of Straw Hats on Merry, facing the camera)_

* * *

 _Last time:_

 _"The Super-Express Lobster is a messenger for God," Pagaya informed. "What it transports is always an offering to God. So, it's headed to northeast Upper Yard, to the sacrificial altar."_

 _"Sacrifice?! Nami-san, Robin-chan and the rest will be sacrificed?!" Sanji asked. Usopp smacked him for putting the rest of the guys as 'the rest'._

 _"That's not entirely true. I've heard, although it's called sacrifice, in Heaven's Judgement, there are two kinds of punishment that criminals receive. Sacrifice and an ordeal. They're currently hostages, so to speak, in God's hands."_

 _Xion raised a brow at the last sentence. "Hostages? So then..."_

 _Pagaya nodded, catching on to her assumption. "The ones who are actually being judge... are the four of you."_

* * *

After witnessing their friends getting taken to Upper Yard to the sacrificial altar, Pagaya went through the trouble of explaining how they can get to where their friends will be, using the map of Skypeia Usopp had on him. Going over how they can get to the altar, the four were determined to get their friends back. Especially one of the four who was a bit too determined to save them, enough to forget the logic in White-White Sea is different from the one in Blue Sea. Luckily, Conis offered to take them to Angel Island wharf, where they can borrow a ship to get to the Sacrificial Altar. However...

' _Why do I have a funny feeling about this?_ ' Xion wondered, as she and the boys followed their guide to their destination.

"What's that?" Usopp asked, as they were approaching what seemed like a city.

"This is Lovely Street. After we cross through Lovely Street, we will arrive at the wharf," Conis explained.

"I'm looking forward to going to Upper yard," Luffy said.

"It is possible you will die there."

"Well, everyone dies eventually."

She didn't show it, but Conis was surprised at his words. "And you're fine with it?"

"Not fine; I'm pumped for it!"

Xion sweatdropped at his casual response while Sanji and Usopp both beat their captain for not taking their situation seriously.

' _Time and time again, I question if joining this crew was actually one of the stupidest choices I've made,_ ' she thought.

The group of five walked through Lovely Streets, taking in the view.

"Lovely Street is the only downtown area on Angel Island," Conis explained.

"Whoa! Check it out! The stores are floating!" Luffy stated.

"They've been built using the qualities of island cloud."

"Wow. Any yakiniku shops?"

As they walked, Xion noticed something really, really odd. Actually what she was noticing was something way too obvious.

' _Why is everyone backing away from us?_ ' she thought. Indeed, as they walked, the citizens of Angel Island all backed away from the group. Although she was aware that they were criminals, but their reaction seemed a bit too suspicious for it to be due to them such.

"Is it just me or is everyone avoiding us?" Usopp asked.

"Can't blame them. Word's probably already gotten out that we're criminals," Sanji reasoned.

"This feels great! All of downtown to ourselves!" Luffy said with a laugh.

' _I thought you were suppose to be a good pirate,_ ' Xion thought. ' _But still... This sort of reaction just from us being criminals?_ '

As they continued to walk, Luffy was practically enjoying himself to the products that are being sold at the shops. By practically enjoying himself, I mean he was busy fooling around, not really taking the rescue mission seriously despite the earlier attitude. This only made Xion question her late decision of joining the crew even more.

' _Is it too late to join a different crew?_ ' she began to wonder.

Eventually enough, they made it to the docks called Gondola Port.

"Oh! So many boats!" the rubberman stated.

"There are all kinds of boats anchored here," Conis explained. "From hotel ships where you can stay the night to speed-oriented boats loaded with giant dials. There are many other kinds that-"

"Whoa! Look at that gondola!" Luffy interrupted, looking at a fancy red boat with an ox-like figurehead, fit for an emperor. "It's so cool! Let's take it! Look behind it! This one can move on its own like a waver! This could turn into a fun gondola race!"

"Idiot! We're rescuing Nami-san and Robin-chan! Get serious!" Sanji scolded.

"That's going to be impossible..." Xion muttered.

"Your boat is over here," Conis said. The four followed her to the gondola she rented out for them. "It's the Crow." Whatever high expectations they had for their boat dropped at the sight of a black, lame-looking boat before them.

"You can't be serious!" Luffy said.

"Crow? They aren't even waterfowl," Sanji stated.

"I used it until just recently when I learned how to ride wavers," their guide explained. "It's not fast like a waver, but it does have two Breath Dials on board. Please feel free to use it."

"No. I'm not going," the captain of the group said, much to their shock. "I want to go on that one."

Xion practically face-palmed at his selfishness. ' _Of course he would._ '

"Y-You don't like it? I'm sorry but-" Conis cut herself off at the sight of Sanji kicking Luffy repeatedly in the face.

"You damn ingrate! Apologize! Apologize to Conis-chan from the bottom of your heart! You scumbag!" the chef demanded. "Pay no attention to his selfishness!"

"Sorry..." the rubberboy said, his face practically bruised.

"N-No problem..." the resident of Angel Island accepted.

"Am I the only one who thinks he got more selfish since we arrived here?" Xion whispered to Usopp.

"It just so happens I was also thinking that," he agreed.

The four continued to follow her to get a view of the path before them.

"Your exit is Gate Number 2," Conis informed, pointing at the said path. "It will lead you to the giant Milky Road, which connects to Upper Yard. Y-You simply need to take that."

Xion raised an eyebrow in suspicion at her stutter.

"Hey, Conis. Why've you been trembling since we left your house?" Luffy asked.

The girl flinched at the question. "D-Does it really seem that way?"

"Yeah. It's like you're afraid or something..."

Sanji jumped to conclusion as to what it meant. "Conis-chan, are you worried about us?! I'm so touched~!"

"Idiot," Xion stated, hitting him hard on the head. "That's not what he meant."

"Even so, are you guys going to be okay?" Usopp asked, referring to Conis and Pagaya. "Everyone in town is plainly avoiding us, yet you're leading us to your boat and even giving directions... Doesn't that make you our accomplices?"

"You're looking pale, too," Luffy added on.

Conis kept quiet at their questioning.

"Conis. Exactly what is going on here?" Xion asked. "You're sweating."

Conis was silent at the question and the statement. "... It's strange, isn't it? Explaining the route to your 'ordeal', guiding you here myself... It's like I want to lead you there, despite saying how terrifying it is."

"Stop it! Don't say anything foolish!" the group heard.

"Huh? What was that?!" Usopp gasped.

"'Foolish'?" Xion repeated in a questioned tone.

They then realized the people around them were starting to back away from the group, more tensed than before.

Sanji was catching on to what was really going on. ' _Don't tell me they're all..._ '

Conis was trembling. She couldn't believe what she was doing to these kind people. Guilt was starting to overwhelm her. Eventually, she collapsed on her knees, surprising the Straw Hats. "Could you run away?" she requested. "I'm sorry!" The townspeople were panicking as she was starting to confess the true intentions behind her actions. "I was the one who called the Super-Express Lobster!"

The pirates were shocked at this. "The thing that took Nami-san and the others?! You called it?!" Sanji asked.

"While you weren't on board, I lied to them about a current that leads to Cloud End and had them raise the anchor. That was the signal for the Super-Express Lobster. Once we know someone's a criminal, we'll be killed if we don't lead them to the place of judgement!"

As she continued to blurt out her confession, the people around them tried to stop her from saying any more.

"Stop it! Don't you realize what you're saying?!"

"You're blaspheming the God!"

"Stop her!"

"This is... our citizens' duty..." Conis ended.

"Are you serious?!" Usopp questioned.

"It's strange, isn't it?"

Luffy, with a serious look and tone, said, "Don't be stupid! You didn't have a choice, right?!" Conis nodded at his question.

Her answer made the four glare at her, their expressions darkened. "Then why are you telling us?!"

"Your life is in danger!" Luffy added.

The crowd then began to say something about judgement approaching and staying away from Conis. Cautious, Xion looked around for any sign of a threat, only to see none around her. Something was shining brightly from above, causing the pirates to look up, shielding their eyes from the brightness. The next thing they knew, something was shot down, right where Conis was. Luffy was quick enough to get her away, or at least attempt to.

"It's no good! It's too big!" Luffy stated. The lightning struck, leaving a huge cloud of smoke in its wake.

As they were recovering from the sudden strike, Usopp, Sanji and Xion all stood back on their feet, shaking off any minor wounds.

"What was that?! What just happened?!" Sanji asked.

"Hey... That hole!" Xion called, pointing at a fairly large hole where Conis and Luffy once were. "Did Luffy and Conis...?"

"Luffy!" Usopp shouted.

"Conis-chan! Where'd you go?!" Sanji shouted.

"Luffy! Conis!"

"It's not use," a civilian spoke.

"The almighty God Eneru sees all...!" another said.

Hearing those words worried the three remaining pirates even more.

"They are both safe," a voice assured.

They looked up and saw a familiar knight on a familiar ridiculous pegasus.

"Hey! It's that weird old man!" Usopp exclaimed in realization.

"'Weird'? No, I am the Sky Knight. This one's on the house," he corrected. He then deliberately dropped Luffy on the ground. "Leave this girl with me. I will not let Eneru harm her. You now know this land's true nature, as well as 'God's' power. What will you do now?"

"This land is none of our business; our friends are on 'God's Island'," Luffy simply answered.

"I see. May luck be with you." With that, he and his current-steed took off.

As he left, to the people's surprise, Luffy and the others were boarding the Crow, making their way to Upper Yard where the rest of their crew were... with one of the four crying and screaming in fear.

"Anyone thinks Conis and Pagaya are going to be okay?" Xion asked. "Conis tried to save us and wound up being an accomplice."

"That old Sky Knight said he'll protect her but..." Usopp pointed out.

"Well, that weird old guy doesn't seem so bad," Luffy stated.

"Got no other choice. I want to protect her, but we can't bring her along either," Sanji added, to his own disappointment.

"Yeah, we probably are in more danger than her," the sniper of the group said. "What with a 'sacrificial altar' and some 'ordeal' waiting for us..."

"But man this thing is slow," the captain complained about their gondola.

"This thing is heavier than a waver after all. Besides we can't go back at this moment. We'll have to deal with what we got now," the vice captain retorted.

The group finished crossing the gate. Imagine their surprise at the sight of their destination before them.

"Whoa! What is that humongous forest?!" Usopp gasped.

"Is that Upper Yard?" Sanji asked.

"It has to be," Xion answered.

"Wow! Was there a forest like that on the map?!" Luffy asked.

"There is a forest here, but it's nothing like this," the sniper informed, looking at the map in his hand. "It's just a normal forest."

"People from 200 years ago had that map, right?" the chef asked. "It might've been an old map from when they had it. It's take at least a thousand years for such giant trees to grow."

"But they sure are big trees! I wanna climb them!" the captain stated.

"Do that and I'll toss you overboard," the vice said, scaring the Devil Fruit user.

The group made it to the entrance and, ignoring Usopp's request to be left behind, continued onwards from there, officially entering Upper Yard. As they sailed passed, they noticed a bunch of wrecked ships around them, all sliced in half. While this worried Usopp, the rest of the group paid no mind to them. Just then, they all heard something.

"Forests are full of all kinds of stuff," Luffy said, not at all worried about the sound they just heard. The other three on the other hand...

"No! That's not it!" Sanji corrected.

"Full speed ahead! All ahead full! Paddle! Paddle, hurry! Forward!" Usopp cried out, as he and Sanji were already paddling as fast as possible.

"Huh? What's going on?" Luffy asked, confused at their reaction.

"Just put the pedal to the medal!" Xion shouted, calling out her Keyblade and facing the back of the Crow. " **Aeroga!** " Just as she said her wind magic, a big moving scythe came falling down. Luckily, the magic the Keyblade wielder called out gave their gondola a good boost in speed, getting it out of the way in time to avoid being sliced in half.

"Whoa! A sickle monster!"

"That's not a monster!"

"Don't let your guard down! There's more coming!" Usopp warned.

"Wait... How many more?" Sanji asked.

The group started to hear a lot more scythes coming.

"Paddle like crazy! Xion, shoot a lot of magic!" Luffy cried out.

The boys started to paddle with all their might while Xion was giving support by giving them more speed with her Aeroga magic, constantly going to the front or back of the ship to do so.

"We're not going to live at this rate!" Xion shouted.

"This isn't good. Take the wheel, Usopp!" Luffy ordered, rushing to the back. " **Gomu Gomu no-!** "

"Hey, Luffy! What are you doing?! Aim forward!" Usopp demanded.

"Just keep moving! **Bazooka!** " Luffy used his Bazooka attack to shoot their gondola into the air, narrowly avoiding the scythe.

"That was too close!" Xion stated, as their ride got back on the cloud.

As they continued to sail by, they heard what sounded like gears shifting.

"There's still more?" Sanji asked.

Almost on cue, wooden spears started to rain down on them. Usopp was frantically trying to avoid them with the best of his abilities, but the spears wouldn't stop coming.

"There's no end to them!" the chef shouted.

"They'll get us at this rate!" Usopp said.

"In that case... **Reflect!** " Xion held up a hand and called up a force field of some sort around the vessel. The spears hit the shield and bounced off.

"Nice one, Xion!" Luffy cheered.

"Xion-san, you're amazing~!" Sanji swooned.

"This isn't the time for that!" Usopp shouted at the love-sick cook.

Soon enough, they managed to make it out of the spear assault.

"Whew. We managed to make it," the vice captain of the group sighed, undoing her barrier.

"I just hope there's no more of this," Usopp said.

In the effect of reverse psychology, the group saw something glint in the trees ahead of them.

"Now what?!"

A razor boomerang then appeared. The group managed to avoid it, only for it to return and continue attacking them, showing no sign of returning to its owner. At one point, it easily cut through some trees like hot knife to butter.

"I'm sick of this place! You couldn't have enough lives to survive this! I'm going back! I don't care what anyone says!" Usopp panicked.

"Calm down already!" Xion shouted, her patience slowly coming to its peak from the sniper's constant whining and screaming.

"No! I'm captain of the Crow!"

"Since when?!" Luffy demanded.

"Even if we do go back, there's no guarantee that we'll return safely," Sanji said.

Just as he said that, the boomerang spun back to them once more.

"Aaahhh! Xion, use that barrier thing!" Usopp shouted.

"It can't stop something that big!" Xion retorted.

"In any case, just dodge!" Sanji said.

Luffy decided to take action. "Alright you! **Gomu Gomu no...** " The rest of his crew mates waited for him to do something against the weapon. "... I got nothing."

"THEN DON'T ACT LIKE YOU GOT SOMETHING!" Xion shouted, whacking her captain on the head. She noticed the boomerang coming back to them. "Then let's try... **Summon: Peepsta Hoo!** " Her owl Dream Eater appeared by her side.

"Xion, what are you doing?! That little Dream Eater can't take that thing out on its own!" Usopp cried out.

Ignoring the panicky sniper, Xion placed a hand on her Gunma's head. " **Link Style: Cyclone!** " Her Dream Eater merged with her, surrounding her body in a green aura. "Now blow away! **Wind Sweep!** " She jumped into the air and knocked the bladed weapon away with a spin attack, causing it to fall into the cloud.

"Nice hit!" Luffy commented, bringing the girl back on the gondola.

"But this is bad! Now we can't go back! We've come a long way from the entrance!" their sniper stated.

"Wanna get off here?" Luffy casually asked.

"You idiot! I'll die!"

"Then stop complaining!" Xion responded.

"You probably will die though," Sanji casually added, for a big lamprey appeared, mouth wide open to devour the boat and its passengers. Usopp screamed in fear, while Sanji took action this time and gave it a good kick, knocking it out and into the white ocean.

"What was that?! A snake?!" Luffy guessed.

"No, it's a lamprey. A sky lamprey," Sanji answered. "One that big will do more than suck blood."

"What a neat forest!" Of course, the captain would be impressed after what had occurred to them.

"Neat my ass! If this is our ordeal, I've had enough!" Usopp shouted.

"We just entered the forest though. This seems a bit too early for ordeals," Xion pointed out, cancelling her link with Gunma. "You did good." She petted him on the head.

"Xion-swan~ What about me~?" Sanji asked, expecting to be petted as well.

"No." And got rejected by her. "Besides that, we will be in more than trouble if we stop here. Keep going, Usopp."

"'Keep going,' she says," the long-nose pirate repeated in a whispered mocking tone.

That, unfortunately for him, didn't go unnoticed. "Did you say something~?" The Keyblade wielder cracked her knuckles as she asked that.

"N-Nothing!"

"Thought so."

* * *

 _ ***MEANWHILE, WITH THE OTHERS***_

The rest of the Straw Hat pirates on the Going Merry found themselves on an altar in the middle of the white-white sea.

"That damn Super-Express Lobster just deserted us here..." Zoro said, gritting his teeth.

"Where exactly are we?" Chopper asked, standing on the railings.

"What's for certain is that it's the interior of Upper Yard..." Nami analyzed.

"It's almost as if this is the sacrificial altar," Robin pointed out.

"Rather this is the sacrificial altar," Guthrie said.

"This place?!" Chirithy cried out in panic.

"Nami. What's a 'sacrifice'?" Chopper asked.

"It means being offered to God while you're still alive," the navigator answered.

"Oh, that's all? I thought it meant boiling alive or something..."

"That's exactly what it is!" the small Dream Eater shouted. Hearing that surprised the doctor.

"Whatever the method, your life is given to God," Robin explained even further.

"Eeeehhhhhh?! So in other words we're still going to die?!" Chopper gasped in shock. The shock made him lose his balance on the rail, as he tumbled down the stairs.

"Chopper!" Nami cried out.

Thankfully, Robin caught him before he fell into the cloud with her Devil Fruit power. As she did so, however, something was swimming over to the man-reindeer. That something was a shark-like sea monster, attempting to eat Chopper, had Zoro not intervened in time.

"What is that?!" Nami gasped.

"A shark," Robin answered.

"A sky shark to be precise," Guthrie added.

Chopper ran back to the ship, screaming. "Zoro! Zoro!"

The three-sword-style swordsman was fighting off his opponent, both falling back into the water. Both were in the water for quite a while, worrying the group.

"What happened to you, Zoro?" Chopper asked in a worried tone.

Just then, the swordsman and the shark emerged out of the water, the former practically in the latter's mouth, preventing the mouth from closing up with his swords and brute strength.

"There he is!" Chirithy shouted.

"Zoro!" Nami followed.

"The sky shark is beating Zoro!" Chopper exclaimed.

Both individuals fell back into the water. Everyone just stared in silence and shock at the sight that had occurred.

"H-He went under again!" the doctor of the group spoke, breaking the silence. "Zoro isn't coming back up!"

"Do you think... he got eaten?!" the Dream Eater guessed. This freaked the doc out a lot, both screaming and crying how one of their strongest got eaten.

"If he was eaten, the cloud would turn red," Robin noted morbidly.

"How can you say something so scary so calmly, Robin?!" Nami demanded.

Hearing the archeologist say that actually made Guthrie think about the clouds being stained red from blood, sending some chills down his spine. "You say some of the scariest things, you know that?" he asked.

All of a sudden, the sky shark was out of the clouds and into the air, followed by Zoro. The man-eating fish landed back into the ocean, defeated and unconscious, while the swordsman swaggered back up the altar's stairs.

"This is bad. Guess we can't swim out of here," Zoro muttered, walking back to the group.

"If that's possible, no one would call this the sacrificial altar," Chirithy pointed out.

"Why'd you punch a shark when you're a swordsman?" Nami criticized.

"At least he defeated it," Guthrie said.

"Zoro, you're so strong!" Chopper commented in awe.

"What happened to your pride as a swordsman?" the navigator continued.

"Give the guy a break, spoil princess," Guthrie defended the swordsman.

"What was that?!"

Chopper looked back to the clouds and saw more shark fins emerging, swimming around the altar. "There wasn't just one! There's a whole swarm of sky sharks!" he cried out.

"We'll be here all night if we try to take out every single one," Zoro casually said.

"Is fighting really all you can think about?!" Chirithy questioned.

"In any case, we can't get to shore in any way," Guthrie stated.

"Though we can't just sit here, either," Robin added.

Zoro was squeezing the water out of his shirt as he complained, "That giant lobster brought us to one hell of a place..."

"Do you suppose starving us here is Heaven's Judgement?"

"I doubt that's considered as a judgement," the male Keyblade wielder stated to the archeologist. "Then again, who knows what this God thinks." Nami tossed Zoro a blue shirt.

The swordsman looked at Merry's condition. "This is bad. We can't set sail with the hull like this," he stated. "Try fixing the ship somehow, Chopper."

"Huh?! Me?! Got it!" the man-reindeer responded, rushing to get the materials needed to fix the ship.

"Fix it? What are you going to do?" Nami asked.

"I'm gonna get into the forest somehow," Zoro answered. "We should make this our base of operations. I'm sure Luffy and the others are headed here to search for us. It's like they say, 'If you get lost, stay where you are.'"

"Especially you!" the navigator retorted.

"His sense of direction can't be that bad," Guthrie said.

"If only you knew."

As they converse, Robin was looking at the ancient writing on the altar, in which the male Keyblade wielder noticed, as he joined her in the observation.

"Say Zoro, you said you're going into the forest, but what for?" Chopper asked.

"God lives here, right? I'm gonna meet him," he replied.

"I told you not to! What if you run into those freaks?!" Nami asked.

"Donno. It depends on how they act."

"I don't like the tone in that voice at all," Chirithy stated with a sweat drop.

"He has priests on this island too, you know. We can't make God angry! That's common sense!" the navigator scolded.

Zoro turned to her. "Sorry but... I've never prayed to God."

Nami face-planted at those words while Chopper was in awe, stating how cool the sword-wielding pirate sounded.

"Don't believe in him either. So I got no obligation to him," he continued.

As he speak, Nami was praying to God to spare her. Chirithy saw this and sweat dropped at how desperate she was to live.

Zoro noticed the vine looped around the tree branch high above them. "Looks like we can use that vine," he noticed.

"Oh, yeah. Good idea," Robin agreed, as she and Guthrie came around to join them. "Do you mind if I come along, Mr. Swordsman?"

"Yeah, I wouldn't mind going, too," Guthrie added.

"Huh? Fine, just don't get in the way," Zoro answered.

"Wait! Where are you two going?!" Nami demanded to the two additional travelers.

"We should wait here until Xion and the others join us," Chirithy stated.

"Robin found something out about this alter," Guthrie pointed out, turning to the ancient words on the alter. "Tell them what you learned."

"Well, from what I gathered, it's been at least 1,000 years since this alter was constructed," the archeologist explained.

"1-1000 years?!" Chopper, Nami, and Chirithy questioned in amazement.

"Something this historic makes me throb with excitement," Robin stated with a calm eagerness. "A place with such deep history must have many relics to be discovered."

"You sound pretty excited about all of this," Guthrie noticed, sensing Robin's anticipation. "Guess being an archeologist, you would be intrigued by new historical discoveries. I wouldn't mind seeing what you might discover, whatever that is."

She smiled at the councilor's interest in history. "If we find some jewel shards, it may be a big help to our ship."

At the sound of a certain word, a certain navigator of the crew perked up with the idea of treasure. "I'm going, too!" she cried out.

"EH?! I THOUGHT YOU WERE SCARED?!" Chopper and Chirithy exclaimed.

Nami turned to the two with beli bills in her eyes as she stated, "We're going to dig up some history."

"We can see your actual purpose in your eyes..." Chirithy muttered, Chopper nodded in agreement to his words.

Within moments, everyone but Chopper and Chirithy went up to the crow's nest of the ship, where they would have a good start-off point. Robin used her Flower-Flower fruit powers to pull one end of the vine down to them, which Zoro caught.

"Will that suffice?" she asked.

"It's perfect," Zoro answered. He cleared his throat, preparing himself for some unknown reason. Nami was confused, while Guthrie wondered if he was gonna do what he thought he was. Sure enough, just as Zoro took off swinging, making a call that a man of the jungle would make.

"What is that? A call of bravery?" Nami asked in bewilderment.

Guthrie merely placed a hand to his face and shook his head.

Zoro landed on the ground on the other side as the vine came back to the remaining three. Robin took it and swung over with ease, thankfully with no wild cries, landing neatly on the other side.

"Robin's so cool!" Chopper stated in amazement.

"Eh, not that cool," Chirithy retorted. "Though she did make it rather easy."

Guthrie caught the vine next and held it to Nami. "Why don't you go next?" he asked.

"Why? You caught it!" Nami responded. "Are you scared?"

"Says the girl shaking her legs when seeing the other two swing."

"Wha-?! My legs were not shaking!" Nami took the vine. "Fine, I'll go next, just to prove I'm not scared!"

She climbed onto the railing of the crow's nest, pulling on the vine to make sure it was tight. Looking beyond, she muttered, "This is a bit high..."

"It's about 50 meters. If you don't make it, you'll die," Robin casually pointed out.

"STOP SCARING ME!" Nami exclaimed.

"Now, now. Compared to the thousands of feet in the sky we already are, this shouldn't be too bad," Guthrie noted.

"YOU AREN'T HELPING, EITHER!"

They all noticed that the other sky sharks were eating up the one Zoro beaten. "Ew. Guess sharks are cannibals, sky or below," Guthrie muttered. He looked over to Nami. "Well, you are swinging above the cloud water, so you should be fine."

"Yeah, but if I fall, I'm dead!" Nami barked.

"Stop holding us up, and get going." The male Keyblade wielder hoisted himself onto the railing and grabbed Nami's hands to make sure she had a tight grip. He then shoved her from behind, forcing her into the swing.

Nami panicked as she descended towards the sky sharks, then noticed she was gonna crash into the tree ahead on the other side. "TOO FAST! WAY TOO FAST! I CAN'T STOP!"

Just as she neared it, she was stopped by multiple hands from Robin's arm, saving her. "How very brave of you," the archeologist stated.

Nami dropped to the ground as she recovered from the scare. As soon as she recovered, she turned angrily to the crow's nest and shouted, "COULDN'T YOU HAVE WAITED FOR ME TO BE READY?! YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO SHOVE ME LIKE THAT!"

"Sorry, but it had to be done," Guthrie called back, grabbing the swinging vine. Before he leapt off, he called down, "Hey, Chirithy. Stay here with Chopper and keep an eye out for the others with him, okay?"

"Right! I'll report to you if Xion returns," the Dream Eater answered.

"If ANY of them return." Guthrie then took a deep breath, exhaled, and made his swing. He reached the others just as easily as Robin.

After the swinging was over Nami sighed as she realized how much she held up everyone and said, "Sorry for holding us up."

"No problem," Robin answered, walking off.

"Can you stand?" Guthrie asked Nami.

"Yeah." She got to her feet again. "Next time, please warn me before you do that." Guthrie shrugged it off.

Zoro made his jungle cry, for some reason. "It's because you didn't do the call."

"THAT'S NOT THE PROBLEM!" she barked back.

"Can we just get going, please?" Guthrie asked, annoyed by Nami by now, as he walked off to join Robin. The archeologist noted the size of the trees.

"Okay, Chopper, Chirithy! The ship's in both your hands!" Zoro called out.

"We'll leave it to you," Robin stated.

"Don't do anything reckless," Guthrie warned them.

"We'll see you soon!" Nami waved to them, her attitude taking a full 180 again.

"Be careful, you guys! Come back safe!" Chopper cried back.

"Get back here soon when you are done!" Chirithy ordered.

The four adventurers took off into the jungle, disappearing from view.

"I'm sure Nami will be safe with Zoro, Robin and Guthrie," the reindeer of the two noted.

"She's pretty useless when it comes to defending herself, isn't she?" Chirithy questioned, hopping off the railing. "Still, even though I want Guthrie to be back here, waiting for Xion and the others, I do hope this will be a learning experience for him and his Keyblade."

"You seem dedicated on helping Guthrie being this guardian for Xion-nee."

Chirithy looked up at Chopper as the latter hopped down and asked, "Tell me, how much do you know about Xion? You act like she's your older sister or something."

"She treats me like a little brother, so she is kind of an older sister to me. Plus, I got to see her do so many cool things during our journey here, even before she lost her memory."

"Is that so? So she's been to this world before?"

Chopper nodded, then looked to the area the other four vanished, "Xion-nee's so brave. I wish I was as brave as everyone else on the crew."

Chirithy watched Chopper's longing face for a moment. The doctor walked down the steps and grabbed the toolbox. "Anyways, I just have to do what I can do," he stated. "They left us alone on the ship in a dangerous forest. That means they trust me. I'll work hard. Besides, if something does happen, you'll be there to protect me, Chirithy."

"What are you talking about?" Chirithy questioned.

Chopper walked away, eagerly stating, "Well, you're a Dream Eater. You must have some super cool powers to fight any monsters that come our way like all of Xion-nee's Spirits."

Hearing that made him nervous for some reason. "Uh, I'm not a combatant Dream Eater," he confessed. Chopper stopped in his tracks, turning to him, confused. "Yeah, I'm not like other Dream Eaters, and are able to fight. I'm more of a guidance for Keyblade wielders and one who keeps ahold of their skill medals. I can't fight monsters properly."

There was a moment of silence between the two of them as the revelation sunk into both of their minds. Chopper wasn't as strong as the others, and Chirithy lacked any fighting skills. They were on a ship alone in the middle of a dangerous forest. This led to one conclusion as their faces paled in panic.

"THE ONES IN MOST DANGER... ARE US!" they exclaimed in unison.


	11. Ball Ordeal

**Here's another chapter of the SCP series! One that features one of the funny moments in One Piece and the start of a hard battle for one of the Straw Hat groups. Now without any further ado, enjoy the chapter~**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or Kingdom Hearts. I do not own Guthrie and, soon to join, Allen. Well, actually I kind of do own him.**

* * *

 ** _*OPENING*_**

 _ **Let's fly to the sky**  
(The sun rises as Merry sails across the ocean)_  
 _ **There's not a single cloud in the sky  
** (All the current Straw Hats watched the sun rises, Luffy on the figurehead)_

 _ **Let's fly to the sky. (It's time to fly around) Catch the perfect breeze for you  
** (The camera faces the sky as the title appears on the screen) **  
Paint the sky with (Let's go to the wonder world) imagination that no one's ever seen  
** (Camera faces back to the Going Merry as everyone went on with their peaceful business)_

 _ **OH! OH! Even if it's too dazzling (Come on)  
** (Xion looked up and saw Marines ahead of them and warned everyone) **  
OH! OH! under the sun**_  
 _(They all prepared themselves for battle. Marines fired cannon balls at them) **  
OH! OH! If it's you, you can make it! Throw away your pride and FLY!  
** (Luffy, Zoro and Sanji sent the cannons back at them. Usopp fired a cannon of their own with Xion, in her Wisdom Form, unleashed Triple Firaga at them, followed by a Thundaga, clearing their path)_

 _ **Everyday is plain!** **  
Real talent makes the world go round**_  
 _(Going Merry sailed through the smoke. Everyone looked content as they enjoyed the sea breeze) **  
Deceit won't work anymore.  
** (Scene changed to Jaya in Mock Town, as camera faced each of the Blackbeard Pirates.) **  
Mayday, the red light is stopping you too  
** (Scene changed to Cricket's home, showing Cricket with Masira and Shojo side by side.)_

 _ **Lend me an ear! And I'm gonna stick on my RAP! Wussup!  
** (Guthrie fights against some pirates and Heartless. One tried to sneak up on him and Chirithy knocked it away.)_  
 _ **"From tomorrow on I'll get serious!"- seriously cut it out with excuses like that  
** (Allen danced as he dodged the attacks of the pirates and attacked them at the same time)_  
 _ **Increase your money with your dream! Time is money like NASDAQ!  
** (The Straw Hats looked at Cricket's gold and searched for the South Bird) **  
When will you do it boy? It's now or never man! This is the moment, right?  
** (The crew then arrived at the Knock Up Stream and went to the skies.)_

 _ **Everybody put ya hands in the air and clap ya hands like this like that**_  
 _ **Clap ya hands everybody! Everybody just clap ya hands!  
** (Scenes quickly changed to different scenes. Xion and Guthrie crossed blades, Luffy's one-hit KO on Bellamy, the group trying to catch the South Bird, then finally their first encounter with the Shandia Warriors)_

 _ **Let's fly to the sky (It's time to fly around) Catch the perfect breeze for you  
** (The Straw Hat Pirates arrived on Skypiea and were approached by the White Berets and fought them) **  
Paint the sky with (Let's go to the wonder world) imagination that no one's ever seen  
** (Scene changed to the group in the Upper Yard fighting against Heartless, Shandians and Priests)_

 _ **OH! OH! Even if it's too dazzling (Come on)  
** (Scene changed to Xion fighting against a blonde Organization XIII member with knives and lightning magic) **  
OH! OH! under the sun  
** (Changed to Guthrie and Allen teaming up against the Nobodies)_ _ **  
OH! OH! If it's you, you can make it! Throw away your pride and FLY!  
** (Changed to Luffy battling Enel. In a flash of light, opening ends with all of Straw Hats on Merry, facing the camera)_

* * *

 _Last time:_

 _"We just entered the forest though. This seems a bit too early for ordeals," Xion pointed out, cancelling her link with Gunma. "You did good." She petted him on the head._

 _"Xion-swan~ What about me~?" Sanji asked, expecting to be petted as well._

 _"No." And got rejected by her. "Besides that, we will be in more than trouble if we stop here. Keep going, Usopp."_

 _"'Keep going,' she says," the long-nose pirate repeated in a whispered mocking tone._

 _That, unfortunately for him, didn't go unnoticed. "Did you say something~?" The Keyblade wielder cracked her knuckles as she asked that._

 _"N-Nothing!"_

 _"Thought so."_

* * *

 _ ***MEANWHILE, WITH THE OTHERS***_

 _Chopper walked away, eagerly stating, "Well, you're a Dream Eater. You must have some super cool powers to fight any monsters that come our way like all of Xion-nee's Spirits."_

 _Hearing that made him nervous for some reason. "Uh, I'm not a combatant Dream Eater," he confessed. Chopper stopped in his tracks, turning to him, confused. "Yeah, I'm not like other Dream Eaters, and are able to fight. I'm more of a guidance for Keyblade wielders and one who keeps ahold of their skill medals. I can't fight monsters properly."_

 _There was a moment of silence between the two of them as the revelation sunk into both of their minds. Chopper wasn't as strong as the others, and Chirithy lacked any fighting skills. They were on a ship alone in the middle of a dangerous forest. This led to one conclusion as their faces paled in panic._

 _"THE ONES IN MOST DANGER... ARE US!" they exclaimed in unison._

* * *

Some time later, Zoro, Nami, Robin and Guthrie were still traveling through the woods.

"Where is this God?" Zoro asked.

"If he's a God, he might have already foreseen our actions from long ago," Robin stated.

"So what? Is he trying to distance himself from us? Observe us for fun?" Guthrie asked.

"We would know if he shows up," the three-sword-style swordsman said.

"I'd rather he doesn't show! How many times do I have to tell you?!" Nami retorted. "The God on this island is horrible!" She started to recall what she saw earlier when she came to the island alone. "Oh God, please stay nice and peaceful... Oh! And please let us find some treasure..."

"That's what you care about?" Guthrie questioned.

"In any case, walking along the river won't get us anywhere," Zoro stated. "We should cross and check out the other side." Robin and Guthrie agreed with the idea.

"But how? Use a vine to swing across like before?" Nami asked. "Or do we climb a-?" Before she could finish her second suggestion, the ground near her foot started to give in, causing her to lose her balance and start to fall in the cloud. As if on cue, a sky shark started to emerge with its mouth wide open.

Zoro quickly reacted, pushing the navigator back and kicking the man-eating sea creature away from them. Robin used her devil fruit power to catch Nami's fall.

"Damn! Those things are everywhere!" the swordsman barked, glaring at the cloud river full of sharks.

"If you think I'm crossing that now, you're out of your mind!" Nami whined. "We might as well just jump in and give those sharks a free snack!"

"Look, I get you got scared, but there's no reason to get all huffy about it," Guthrie stated, frowning at Nami's demeanor.

"He's right. Let's just go upstream until we find a safe place to cross over," Zoro agreed.

"Give up, I'm not going!" Nami barked back. "If you wanna go so badly, then leave me here!"

Guthrie had enough of the navigator's complaints and started to walk away. "You know what? Fine! Let the spoiled little princess stay here to whine about every little thing!"

"Watch your mouth! I thought you were our ship's counselor! You're doing a pretty lousy job at what you signed up for!"

Guthrie stopped and turned to Nami, the fierceness in his eyes was enough to make Nami shift her anger into shock. "For your information, I have only just started working as your crew's counselor and the first thing I did was looking into the log journals you wrote throughout your time on the ship, while we were heading to the Knock-up Stream," he started, walking right back to Nami. "I learned all about you guys based on the journals written there, including your little issue in your home town, Nami." He moved Zoro to the side, reached down and grabbed one of Nami's backpack straps, pulling her to his face. "I get it that you had a tough life beforehand, and that thanks to Luffy and the others, you are a free bird. But that doesn't give you the right to act like a pampered princess who whines every time things don't go her way! Life is not like that! Sometimes, life wants to make you miserable and the only thing you can do is endure it! You want you become a pirate and a navigator? Then endure the storms of troubles, so that you can reach that goal you want to get to!"

Guthrie shoved Nami away from him, who stumbled backwards, completely shocked. Zoro and Robin were surprised, but not as much. What he said was reason enough, and it was something that they all could agree on. However, the ferocity of Guthrie's words showed something about him that the two were able to understand; Guthrie had endured a lot of troubles in his own life.

Robin looked down and realized something she should've realized when they first arrived on the island.

"Say... This ground..." she said, inspecting the land they were on.

"What about it?" Nami asked.

"It's dirt."

Nami didn't see where she was going with this. "Well yeah. This is an island."

Guthrie realized what their archeologist meant. "This is sky island. Dirt shouldn't exist here."

Zoro caught on to what they meant. "Oh yeah. This part isn't fluffy," he said, tapping the ground.

It took Nami a few more seconds to remember an important fact about sky island. "Oh right! Sky island are islands made of cloud. It feels like a long time since I've felt dirt like this. Why is this island different?"

"In any case, it's certain that this is an unusual sky island. Looks like checking into it might be worth a lot," Robin said.

* * *

Back to Xion and the boys, as they continued to sail to the altar, they saw what seemed like a selection of ordeal ahead of them.

"A Level 2 crime, huh? What do you take God for?!" demanded a voice.

"Choose an ordeal. We shall present it with out own hands," said another voice.

"Sin is living in ignorance," said another.

"The means to attaining peace do not lead into Heaven," said another.

"Swamp. Iron. String. Balls. Choose your ordeal," the four voices ended.

The four pirates on the Crow were weary of the choices before them. Well, three of the four.

"So, what do we do?" Usopp asked.

"Go with balls!" Luffy quickly decided.

"Stop making decisions for us!" Xion shouted.

"Why that one, Luffy?" the sniper of the group asked again.

"It sounds fun."

"That's your reason?! These are ordeals! They're not gonna be fun!"

"Usopp, this is Luffy we're talking about," Xion stated.

"I guess so. Then again, I do agree with him. It's the only one that doesn't sound violent," Usopp said. "I mean, when I think of swamp, I get the feeling that once you sink, there's no coming back."

"Then what about iron?" their captain asked.

"... Denied! That sounds totally bad!"

' _Either he was thinking we would go through what we just went through on the way here, just more deadly, or hundreds of tons of iron are falling on top of us,_ ' Xion thought, noticing his scared expression before he answered the question.

"Then what about string?" Luffy asked again.

"It sounds easy, and not too bad at all, but... N-No! Its easy sound makes it more suspicious!" Usopp reasoned again.

Xion raised a brow at his reason. "Really? I thought you were thinking we would be hanged if we're not careful enough."

Hearing that made the guy go pale. "That's even worse than I imagined! And as for the ball... It sounds round and soft, but it's most likely to be a trick! We really need to think it over!"

"There's no time to be wishy-washy! We're already here, anyway!" Sanji said.

"Let's go with ball," Luffy practically ordered.

"You heard him, Usopp," Xion said to their current driver.

The long-nose sniper looked at the four paths before them in fear. "A-All right. I'll go with Luffy's hunch on this one!"

"Then it's decided. Don't let your guard down," Sanji advised.

"We are on God's Island. And thousands of meters in the air," Xion added. "Anything can happen."

"Let's go! To ball!" Luffy eagerly ordered.

With that, the Crow was directed to their ordeal.

As they said through the dark tunnel of the path to the ball ordeal, Usopp was having his eyes shut tight, not wanting to see anything horrifying; Luffy, being Luffy, was just eager to see what the ordeal had in store for them; Xion cautiously looked around, trying to see if there were any signs of trouble even though they just entered the pathway; Sanji was pretty much like Luffy, but not as eager as him.

"Hey driver. Don't shut your eyes," he said.

At Sanji's words, Usopp slowly opened his eyes. "It's just as dark with them open!" he whined.

"Hey, what if it's like those games?" Luffy asked, to their confusion. "You know, how one path has a prize and the rest are wrong?"

Usopp, on the other hand, was freaking out even more at his captain's question. "Wait, what?! What if we picked wrong?! Why are you saying this now?!"

Luffy thought about what if they picked wrong. "Let's see... If we picked the wrong one... Then we fall off sky island!"

That answer made the sniper panic even more. "Don't be so stupid! 'Falling off', you say?! We're thousands of meters in the air! I don't know how many times life will flash before our eyes during a fall like that and I don't want to know!"

"Quit being idiots," Sanji told them, as they started to exit the tunnel.

"He's right. Nothing like that's going to-" Xion was cut off as, the moment they were out of the tunnel, the four found the Crow had sailed off the edge of a cliff and they were currently floating in the air.

The sight before them combined with the story Luffy made up caused the four to scream bloody murder, eyes popped out of their sockets, especially Usopp and his teeth.

"NO! YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING MEEEE!" Usopp cried out, as they all fell to their deaths.

Or so they thought, when the Crow landed on a cloud river and continued to sail. Some nearby birds flew away in shock at its landing.

"We-... We're alive..." the long-nose, mentally-scarred, pirate breathed. "I seriously thought we were falling back to the Blue Sea..."

Luffy was the only one laughing at the experience, as Sanji kicked his head, followed by Xion whacking the rubber boy with her Keyblade.

"It's because you made up that stupid story, Luffy!" the chef accused.

"I was scared! I thought I was gonna die!" the captain laughed.

"How can you be laughing?!" the vice-captain demanded.

After taking some time to calm down after the horrifying experience, the four pirates took in their new surroundings.

"So... What is this place?" Xion asked, as Sanji started to smoke on a new cigarette.

"There are a lot of balls here," Luffy stated.

Floating around the group were white, harmless looking balls.

"They're small 'island cloud' balls," Sanji said.

"Awesome! They're like big snow!" the devil fruit user of a captain happily exclaimed. "What a weird place. It's so neat!"

' _He forgot this is suppose to be an ordeal, did he?_ ' Xion thought.

"The Milky Road leads above the trees," Sanji informed at the wheel, considering their previous driver was in a huge shock.

"But what part of this place is an ordeal?" the Keyblade wielder wondered.

"Who knows? It'd be great if there's nothing at all, but I doubt that's the case." As Sanji said that, he seemed to have thought of something. Xion noticed and was about to ask if he knew what was up with the ordeal, when she saw a perverted look on his face.

"I doubt that's it, you ass hole!" she shouted, hitting him hard with the Keyblade, knocking him out and taking the wheel.

"Maybe we chose the prize door!" Luffy guessed. "I bet if we chose the wrong one, we'd be in huge trouble right about now!"

Usopp was starting to regain himself. "Y-Yeah... You might be right," he agreed.

"You idiots! Don't let your guard down!" Xion scolded. "They're calling this an ordeal. Something has to be trouble in here. For all we know, these balls are traps, so stay sharp." The two conscious boys all tensed at her words. "In any case, we should keep moving. As long as we don't do anything to any of these balls, we should be safe."

Instead of hearing a 'yes' or an 'okay', Xion heard in response, "I'm thirsty! Let's have some tea!"

"Huh? Yeah, let's! Open up the rice crackers in your bag!"

Hearing how carefree they were acting made Xion slam her head on the wheel. ' _I was a fool to think they will take this seriously,_ ' she thought.

"Hey, Xion! Have a rice cracker!" Luffy told her.

"Yeah! Come over here and have some!" Usopp followed.

"Who's going to steer the gondola then?! Look, I'll keep watch at the front, you guys take the side and back, got it?!" Xion demanded. The two boys flinched at her tone and nodded. "Good."

Time later, the group was still smoothly sailing through the 'ordeal'.

"It took us really high at some point," Usopp noticed, as he and Luffy looked from the side of the Crow. Sanji regained conscious and joined the boys in the view.

' _This is odd,_ ' Xion couldn't help but think. ' _Since this is an ordeal, I could've sworn we would meet up with one of the priests. There were four entrances, and there are suppose to be four priests. I assumed each entrance would lead us to one priest._ ' As she looked around in the woods, she saw one shadow that seemed quite peculiar. Her eyes widened and quickly searched for the ball that casted the shadow. To her shock and confusion, there were none that looked like the shadow she saw. Xion looked back at the said shadow, only to see it gone. ' _Okay. I know what I saw,_ ' she then thought. ' _We're not alone._ '

"Guys. Keep your guards up and eyes peeled. We're not-"

"Hey, Usopp! Pass!" Luffy spoke, interrupting her warning.

"Okay, I got it! Pass!" followed Usopp's voice.

Xion looked behind her and saw her captain and sniper playing with one of the balls, much to her horror.

"WHAT HAPPENED TO KEEPING WATCH?!" she demanded.

"Here, Xion-swan~ Some lovely tea for the lovely lady~" Sanji offered, handing her the said tea in a tea cup.

"You're not helping either! And you two, quit playing with that-!" It was then Xion finally noticed the ball Luffy and Usopp were playing with. "Idiots! Toss it away!"

The boys looked at her in confusion, until a live snake's head popped out of the ball, mouth open wide to eat Usopp whole. The sniper managed to duck in time to avoid the bite.

"You jerk! Get out of here!" Luffy shouted, kicking the snake off their boat. "That was a close one."

"Now I see how this is an ordeal," Xion muttered. "Make sure none of these balls get close to us!"

As the vice-captain looked back at the front, she saw one of the balls heading towards them. She was about to blow it away, when Sanji intervened with a kick. Upon contact, however, the ball started to glow. The next thing they knew, the ball exploded on them. Luckily for them, it was small enough to only cover them in soot and gave them frizzy hair.

' _This isn't good,_ ' they thought in unison, Sanji puffing out some smoke.

"What's the deal with these balls?!" Usopp cried out.

"Hoh hoh hooo! There's no telling what will come out!" came a voice. The four were on guard as they searched for the source. "These clouds are called 'surprise clouds'! Heso!"

"Who're you?!" Usopp demanded, as they found their opponent, who was pretty much a round person in a white jumpsuit with yellow sunglasses, red hair, orange hat, gloves and shoes.

"Thank you for choosing my ball ordeal! Hoh hoh hooo!" he thanked.

"Who is that dango freak?" Sanji dared ask, as the pirates sweat dropped at the appearance of the assumed priest.

"Can he be a priest?" Xion guessed, as the guy before them started to happily jump on the ball he was on.

"You're the ball ordeal?! A ball?!" Luffy questioned..

"And quit dancing! Who the hell are you?!"

The priest didn't stop dancing on the ball and ignored the question.

"Wow. He's dumber than I expected," Usopp stated.

"Didn't Nami and the old guy say they were really strong?" Luffy recalled.

"Hey! Dumpling!" Sanji called. "Nami-san and the others are safe, I hope?!"

"Do you mean the sacrifices?" the priest asked back. "If so, I wouldn't know. Even if they're left alone, they're going to die! Even if they manage to escape, they're still going to die!" Hearing that pissed Sanji off. "You should worry about yourselves. Just so you know, you'll need to beat me to continue ahead!" He then jumped off his ball over to their side.

"Here he comes! Get him Luffy!" Usopp shouted.

Luffy prepared his signature attack. "Oh? You're gonna stretch?" the priest asked. Xion heard that question and couldn't help but widen her eyes in shock. As Luffy used his Gomu Gomu no Pistol attack, the enemy somehow managed to avoid it. He then pressed his left palm against Luffy's face and, to the pirates' shock, forced him away and into a tree.

"No way!" Usopp gasped.

"Luffy!" Sanji called.

Their captain then fell on the grass on his front.

"Luffy?! Hey! You're alright, right?!" Usopp cried out. "Regular hits don't work on you!"

"A hit?" the priest questioned. "It's a bit different from a hit!"

"I'll show you different!" Sanji went in to attack him.

Like before, he managed to dodge Sanji's attack.

"Only the well-trained are given the power of Mantra," he said. He then did what he'd done to Luffy and knocked Sanji away with a palm attack.

"Sanji!" Usopp cried out.

Xion looked back at the dango-shaped guy. "That guy... He can predict attacks?"

"It's not much of a hit. **Impact**." The priest then knocked Usopp off the Crow like he did to the other boys. "The shock destroys the body from the inside."

Usopp was on the ground in the same condition as the others.

"Usopp!" Xion called, summoning her Keyblade. "If physical attacks won't work..." She pointed her Keyblade at him, prepared to use a Blizzard magic.

"Trying to freeze me?" he asked, to her shock as she fired her intended magic. Like how it happened to Sanji and Luffy, however, the priest also avoided it and used that palm attack on her, forcing her off the Crow as well.

"D-Dammit... Sanji! Usopp! Xion!" Luffy shouted, regaining conscious.

"I'm alright! But what the hell was that?" the chef asked.

"That didn't feel like any ordinary palm attack," Xion said, healing herself with her Cure magic.

"Man. That guy's mysterious," the rubberman stated, putting his hat back on his head.

The priest resumed his dance on their ride. "My name is Satori! I'm one of the priests of the almighty God Enel! I own the Vearth of this Illusion Forest!"

"Illusion Forest?"

"Yes! This very forest! And..." He pressed the gas pedal on the Crow and got on a random ball. "Your boat will be lost in its illusions! Your boat will now speed along this forest's Milky Road at random and eventually leave through this forest's only exit! I'm sure you realize it, but losing a dial boat is the same as losing your way to the sacrificial altar. So you must find and board the boat before it happens. Of course, these countless surprise clouds and I won't allow that. Welcome to the sacred ground of Upper Yard. This is the Illusion Forest Ball Ordeal, with a ten percent survival rate!"

"Ten percent survival rate?!" Usopp repeated in shock. His nakama weren't fazed by the low survival rate.

* * *

 _ ***MEANWHILE***_

Back with Chopper and Chirithy, the two small members of the crew were crying out their comrades who just left them to return.

"Zoro! Nami! Robin! Don't leave us all alone! Please come back!" the former cried out.

"Guthrie, you idiot! Come back and protect us!" the latter followed.

"Who'll save us if we're suddenly attacked?"

All of a sudden, a sky shark jumped out of the water right in front of them. The two were terrified at the sudden appearance and quickly moved away from the railings. Thankfully, the sea creature went back into the cloudy sea.

"This is all because your idiot of a captain wanted to come to the sky island!" the Dream Eater accused to the reindeer.

At his name, the Devil Fruit user remembered something that Zoro said. "Oh yeah. Luffy and the others are coming! Which means Xion-nee is going to come soon!" The two were silent at those words.

"Oh yeah! Which means we will only have to endure until they get here!" Chirithy caught on.

"Yeah! We just need to play it safe and wait for them!" Chopper nodded. "In the meantime, let's fix the ship!"

"Okay!"

With that, the two non-human creatures started to fix the ship as best as they possibly could.

Chirithy noticed Chopper seemed really happy. "What's that smile for?"

"Well, it's just if Luffy and the others come back and saw we managed to fix the ship-" Chopper was so caught up in his own, little world, he accidentally hit his finger. He cried out in pain and tossed the hammer away.

The two ran to the stairs where it fell and saw it at the last step.

"You go get it, Chopper," Chirithy said.

"Why me?!" the man-reindeer demanded.

"Well, why should it be me?!"

"You can disappear whenever you want without getting eaten!"

"Not all the time! There's a limit to what Dream Eaters can and can't do! Besides, you were the one who dropped it!"

* * *

 _ ***BACK TO LUFFY AND THE OTHERS***_

Satori was still dancing on top of his cloud. "You'd better hurry before the boat goes deeper into Illusion Forest!" he advised.

"Hey! We really have to go after the boat before we lose it!" Usopp agreed. "If we lose it, we might not find it again!" He then took off.

"Wait, Usopp! The same is true if we get separated!" Sanji called, only to be ignored.

"Then we'll just split into two groups!" Xion suggested. "Sanji, you go with Usopp to stop the boat! Send a signal when guys retrieve it! Luffy and I will handle Satori!"

"Yes, Xion-swan~" With that, the lovesick chef followed the sniper to their soon-to-be lost gondola.

"Hoh hoh hooo! In your dreams! I'm filled with good fortune and pride!" the priest in question boasted.

"Careful, Luffy. As you know, that guy has some strange powers," Xion warned her captain.

"Yeah. I got it," he answered, cracking his knuckles. "Don't you dare move, Ball!" Luffy stretched an arm to grab a branch above him. Reaching the same height as their opponent, Luffy used another Pistol attack, only to be avoided again. Satori then grabbed Luffy's stretched arm and practically lassoed him into a tree.

Up next was Xion, who had called out Gunma and was currently in a Link Action with him. Carrying his master, Gunma flew over to Satori, with Xion prepared to strike him.

"Also a head-on attack," she heard the priest say, as he avoided her attack and used another mysterious palm strike on her. She would've hit a tree or a surprise could, if Gunma hadn't regained his aerial balance.

"What's wrong, you two? I thought you were going to take care of me," Satori mocked.

"Well guess what. We will!" Luffy promised, as he stretched his arm to grab a branch behind Satori. "This time I won't miss! **Gomu Gomu no Muchi**!" Even though he faked a punch, Satori knew he was actually going to a kick and dodged it again. "Again!" Luffy went in for another surprise kick, only to have it caught like his pistol earlier, which was what he wanted. " **Gomu Gomu no-** " Before he could unleash whatever attack he had in mind, Satori did another palm strike on him.

"Luffy!" Xion shouted, as Gunma flew her over to their opponent, the girl with a big magic spell prepared. "Let's see if he can dodge this! **Tripe Firaga!** " She shot out a trio of fire magic at Satori, which proved to be futile, as he avoided all three fireballs and tossed Luffy to her and Gunma. The two pirates collided and crashed into a tree, with the Dream Eater forced to release its master. Before they had the chance to recover, Satori unleashed a barrage of the palm strikes at them. Once he ended his assault, Luffy's head was stuck in a tree and Xion was holding her chest, blood seeping out of her mouth. The pirate captain struggled to get his head out of the tree and the vice used Curaga to heal herself back to full health.

"Hoh hoh hoooo! How stubborn," Satori stated.

All Xion could do was glare at the priest, wondering what they can do to defeat him.


	12. Struggles in the Lost Forest

**I've honestly nothing to say for this chapter, other than there will be a Dream Eater challenge in here. And this time, Xion won't be the one doing it. Let's see how this will go~**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or Kingdom Hearts. I do not own Guthrie and, soon to join, Allen. Well, actually I kind of do own him.**

* * *

 ** _*OPENING*_**

 _ **Let's fly to the sky**  
(The sun rises as Merry sails across the ocean)_  
 _ **There's not a single cloud in the sky  
** (All the current Straw Hats watched the sun rises, Luffy on the figurehead)_

 _ **Let's fly to the sky. (It's time to fly around) Catch the perfect breeze for you  
** (The camera faces the sky as the title appears on the screen) **  
Paint the sky with (Let's go to the wonder world) imagination that no one's ever seen  
** (Camera faces back to the Going Merry as everyone went on with their peaceful business)_

 _ **OH! OH! Even if it's too dazzling (Come on)  
** (Xion looked up and saw Marines ahead of them and warned everyone) **  
OH! OH! under the sun**_  
 _(They all prepared themselves for battle. Marines fired cannon balls at them) **  
OH! OH! If it's you, you can make it! Throw away your pride and FLY!  
** (Luffy, Zoro and Sanji sent the cannons back at them. Usopp fired a cannon of their own with Xion, in her Wisdom Form, unleashed Triple Firaga at them, followed by a Thundaga, clearing their path)_

 _ **Everyday is plain!** **  
Real talent makes the world go round**_  
 _(Going Merry sailed through the smoke. Everyone looked content as they enjoyed the sea breeze) **  
Deceit won't work anymore.  
** (Scene changed to Jaya in Mock Town, as camera faced each of the Blackbeard Pirates.) **  
Mayday, the red light is stopping you too  
** (Scene changed to Cricket's home, showing Cricket with Masira and Shojo side by side.)_

 _ **Lend me an ear! And I'm gonna stick on my RAP! Wussup!  
** (Guthrie fights against some pirates and Heartless. One tried to sneak up on him and Chirithy knocked it away.)_  
 _ **"From tomorrow on I'll get serious!"- seriously cut it out with excuses like that  
** (Allen danced as he dodged the attacks of the pirates and attacked them at the same time)_  
 _ **Increase your money with your dream! Time is money like NASDAQ!  
** (The Straw Hats looked at Cricket's gold and searched for the South Bird) **  
When will you do it boy? It's now or never man! This is the moment, right?  
** (The crew then arrived at the Knock Up Stream and went to the skies.)_

 _ **Everybody put ya hands in the air and clap ya hands like this like that**_  
 _ **Clap ya hands everybody! Everybody just clap ya hands!  
** (Scenes quickly changed to different scenes. Xion and Guthrie crossed blades, Luffy's one-hit KO on Bellamy, the group trying to catch the South Bird, then finally their first encounter with the Shandia Warriors)_

 _ **Let's fly to the sky (It's time to fly around) Catch the perfect breeze for you  
** (The Straw Hat Pirates arrived on Skypiea and were approached by the White Berets and fought them) **  
Paint the sky with (Let's go to the wonder world) imagination that no one's ever seen  
** (Scene changed to the group in the Upper Yard fighting against Heartless, Shandians and Priests)_

 _ **OH! OH! Even if it's too dazzling (Come on)  
** (Scene changed to Xion fighting against a blonde Organization XIII member with knives and lightning magic) **  
OH! OH! under the sun  
** (Changed to Guthrie and Allen teaming up against the Nobodies)_ _ **  
OH! OH! If it's you, you can make it! Throw away your pride and FLY!  
** (Changed to Luffy battling Enel. In a flash of light, opening ends with all of Straw Hats on Merry, facing the camera)_

* * *

 _Last time:_

 _ ***WITH GUTHRIE'S GROUP***_

 _"Say... This ground..." Robin said, inspecting the land they were on._

 _"What about it?" Nami asked._

 _"It's dirt."_

 _Nami didn't see where she was going with this. "Well yeah. This is an island."_

 _Guthrie realized what their archeologist meant. "This is sky island. Dirt shouldn't exist here."_

 _Zoro caught on to what they meant. "Oh yeah. This part isn't fluffy," he said, tapping the ground._

 _It took Nami a few more seconds to remember an important fact about sky island. "Oh right! Sky island are islands made of cloud. It feels like a long time since I've felt dirt like this. Why is this island different?"_

 _"In any case, it's certain that this is an unusual sky island. Looks like checking into it might be worth a lot," Robin said._

* * *

 _ ***WITH CHOPPER AND CHIRITHY***_

 _The two ran to the stairs where it fell and saw it at the last step._

 _"You go get it, Chopper," Chirithy said._

 _"Why me?!" the man-reindeer demanded._

 _"Well, why should it be me?!"_

 _"You can disappear whenever you want without getting eaten!"_

 _"Not all the time! There's a limit to what Dream Eaters can and can't do! Besides, you were the one who dropped it!"_

* * *

 _ ***BACK TO LUFFY AND THE OTHERS***_

 _"Luffy!" Xion shouted, as Gunma flew her over to their opponent, the girl with a big magic spell prepared. "Let's see if he can dodge this! **Tripe Firaga!** " She shot out a trio of fire magic at Satori, which proved to be futile, as he avoided all three fireballs and tossed Luffy to her and Gunma. The two pirates collided and crashed into a tree, with the Dream Eater forced to release its master. Before they had the chance to recover, Satori unleashed a barrage of the palm strikes at them. Once he ended his assault, Luffy's head was stuck in a tree and Xion was holding her chest, blood seeping out of her mouth. The pirate captain struggled to get his head out of the tree and the vice used Curaga to heal herself back to full health._

 _"Hoh hoh hoooo! How stubborn," Satori stated._

 _All Xion could do was glare at the priest, wondering what they can do to defeat him._

* * *

"Don't be in such a rush. Stay for a while," Satori told Luffy and Xion.

The Straw Hat captain still tried to get his head out, while Xion was thinking of a plan to at least land a hit on the priest before them. She noticed Gunma flying over to Satori, attempting to attack him from behind.

' _He can't possibly concentrate if multiple people attack him at once!_ ' she hoped, as she tossed a Strike Raid at the priest.

She was either proven wrong or it was just a coincidence, but the guy just leapt over her Keyblade and had it struck Gunma instead.

"Oh no!" she cried out. Satori then kicked one of the cloud balls at her. Xion leapt up to avoid it, only for it to explode when it hit the ground, forcing her back.

"Now then, where are the other two? I won't let a single one escape!" Satori said. He spotted Sanji running. "Here we are."

* * *

"Hey! You see it, Usopp?!" the chef called to the sniper, who was hiding in the trees, searching for their borrowed vessel.

"... Found it!" he called.

"Gimme directions!"

"Straight ahead! Climb up the tree after the next one! You can jump onto it from the branches!"

"Got it!" With those directions, Sanji dashed to the designated tree to get to the Crow.

As he climbed the tree, Satori approached them from another one of his balls. Usopp noticed them and panicked. "It's him! What's he up to?!"

As if to answer his question, Satori kicked the ball to Sanji.

"Look out, Sanji! There's a ball headed your way!" Usopp warned.

Hearing that surprised the pirate chef. "What?! What the hell is Luffy doing?!"

The two male pirates could only watch as the ball headed straight for Sanji, letting out whatever sort of surprise it had for him. Or so they thought, as it hit another ball and was redirected away from the chef.

"Surprise Billard!" Satori called out, the ball now making its way to Usopp.

The sniper panicked at the true target, as Sanji cried out his name. Usopp tried to jump off the branch to avoid it, but because of his long nose, the ball still made contact with him. ' _It's gonna explode!_ ' he inwardly screamed-

 _ ***POP***_

-for nothing, as only a flower came out of the ball.

Of course, Usopp was dumbfounded at the scene. ' _A 'pop'?!_ '

"Hmm... A dud," Satori simply said. Despite that, Usopp still took a lot of pain. How? Well, he did jump off the branch he was on, which resulted in him hitting the ground hard.

"You idiot!" Sanji shouted.

* * *

Xion, after somehow managing to protect herself with her Reflect magic, chased after Satori. Considering that Luffy was still out of commission, she knew the priest would go after Sanji and Usopp. As soon as she arrived, she saw Usopp on the ground, unconscious.

"Usopp!" she cried out, running to his side. "Come on, stay with me! **Curaga**!" She used her healing magic and helped Usopp with his injuries.

As soon as he was better, Usopp regained his conscious. "Ahhh! That was dangerous! I thought I was gonna die!" he shouted.

" **Gum Gum... Gatling!** " The two looked up as they heard that familiar voice and saw Luffy, who finally freed himself from the tree, using his multiple punching attacks at the priest. And he was a fool to do so, not because Satori would've still avoided the punches, but because...

"You idiot! Stop hitting the balls!" Xion shouted, taking cover from behind a tree.

The pirate captain realized his mistake too late, for a bunch of the balls were hitting each other randomly. "W-What the-?!"

"Oh no! Too late!" Usopp cried out.

"Careful! They're coming from all directions!" Sanji warned.

Of course, Satori was the only one who was unaffected by the scene before him. "Hoh hoh hoo. You people are fun," he commented, jumping from one ball to another to a safe zone.

Meanwhile, the Straw Hats prepared themselves to avoid the cloud balls headed their way. Sanji jumped to avoid one that had spears pop out, and another that had a huge crab inside. Usopp avoided four at once and ducked for cover, only for four birds to pop out, singing. Just as he was about to sing with them, one of the birds hit a bell and all four just assaulted the boy. Luffy... Well, one of the balls had fireballs in it and the Straw Hat pirate was unfortunate enough for one of those balls to hit him... in the butt... Now he was just running around like a chicken without a head, looking for something to put out the fire. With little to no care for his inability to swim, out of desperation, he jumped into the cloud river to put the fire out. Well, at least he tried to, only to end up in a sky sea serpent's mouth. Good news, fire was put out; bad news, he may have had his butt bitten in the process, bringing more pain to him as he jumped out of the now-dead serpent's mouth.

Xion could only watch from her position behind a tree, safe from the balls. "The idiot..." she breathed.

Luffy then fell in and through the cloud river.

"Luffy! Don't fall into the river below! There might not be a bottom!" Sanji warned.

The rubber pirate seemed to have heard him and stretched out an arm to a branch. More specifically, one where Xion was. He grabbed her ankle and pulled himself up. Well, he was actually pulling her down and would've succeeded in pulling them both back to the Blue Sea, had the Keyblade wielder not stabbed her Keyblade on the branch to prevent that. In turn, Luffy himself was pulled up and on the branch.

"Thanks Xion!" he said, unaware that he almost pulled them both into the bottom sea.

Xion slowly climbed back on the branch she almost slipped off of and glared at her captain. "'Thanks' my ass!" She whacked him in the face so hard with Desert Nakama, Luffy was knocked off and falling back to the cloud river.

As Luffy fell, he saw a vine nearby and quickly stretched his arm towards it, pulling himself away from the cloud. Not only that, but the boy was now having some fun swinging around, even adding in the jungle cry.

"Are you stupid?!" Xion and Sanji both demanded with shark-like teeth.

Back to Usopp, he somehow managed to give the birds a good beating to the head, knocking them all out. Or rather, just a hammer to each head. He then heard Luffy having fun and looked up to see him swinging around the jungle. This gave him an idea.

"Oh! I didn't think of that! Now I can actually try it out!" he said. He opened his pouch and took something out.

This didn't go unnoticed by the other Straw Hats.

"Do you have an idea, Usopp?!" Sanji asked, as their sniper climbed up a tree and on a branch.

With a serious look, he replied, "I sure do! I'm known as the greatest pirate inventor! I'll show you my latest weapon: Usopp Aa-aa-aa!"

' _Why do I have a bad feeling about this?_ ' Xion wondered, just from the name itself, and the belt-like accessory around Usopp's waist.

"Uh, what?" Sanji questioned.

"Just watch!" Usopp placed his goggles over his eyes and got a good view of the Crow. "There it is! On the river straight ahead!" Removing the goggles, he claimed he could make it over there and fired a rope from the belt. "Alright, now it's just a straight line to the Crow! If it goes any further in, we won't be able to get it! I can't let this chance go!"

Both Sanji and Xion were impressed that their engineer had a decent idea to their ride.

"Wow, not too shabby. Watch out for the balls!" the former warned.

"I ain't gonna screw up! You can call me the King of the Jungle!" Usopp claimed.

"Then go for it, king!" Xion told him, thinking that her bad feeling was a false alarm.

"Here goes! **Usopp Aa-aa-aa!** " He kicked himself off the branch and started to swing over to the Crow. As he had predicted, he arrived just above their vessel.

"Yes! Perfect! Get on board and stop the boat!" Sanji told him.

For some reason, though, Usopp has yet to get on. If anything, he seemed to be struggling with his new invention.

"What's wrong, Usopp?" Xion called.

"Well, you see... I forgot that the rope is attached to the belt, so I can't get down!" he explained.

"Then take off the whole belt!" The advise came too little too late, for Usopp was swinging away from the Crow, making her face-palm. She then hit her head against the tree she was on, as she saw Usopp try to get back on the branch he was previously on, only to not reach it and continue swinging.

' _My god damn bad feeling was spot on..._ ' she thought, as she tightened her grip on Desert Nakama irritatedly at the stupidity of half her group. Sanji also clenched his fists in the same irritation as her.

"Luffy... Usopp..." Xion called, a dark expression on her face.

"We would like to have a word with you two," Sanji said with the same expression.

* * *

 _ ***A FEW MINUTES OF BEATING LATER***_

Both Luffy and Usopp stood bruised and beaten before Sanji and Xion, the chef blowing out some smoke.

"You understand? We'll forget what happened just now had happened. Just listen to what we say," Xion calmly told them, polishing her Keyblade.

"Yes! I'm sorry!" Luffy nodded.

"I'm sorry..." Usopp followed.

"Forget about the boat. We all have to attack him at once!" Sanji told them. "I don't care if he is a priest; if we all attack at once, we're sure to find a way to beat him!"

"Beat me?" came Satori's voice. All four pirates were on alert the moment they heard his voice.

"Where'd he go?!" Luffy asked, as they all looked around to find the priest.

Satori appeared from above and landed right behind Sanji. Xion was the first to notice. "Sanji, behind you!"

All three boys heard her shout and turned, but they were too late, as the priest did that palm attack again on Sanji. The chef hit the tree and fell on the ground, unconscious.

"Hoh hoh hoo! Life is suffering... Now, you three are next!" he claimed, looking at the remaining pirates.

* * *

 _ ***WITH GUTHRIE AND THE OTHERS***_

The group of two guys and two girls continued to walk through their part of the woods to find the God or learn more of Upper Yard, Nami thought she saw something from a distance.

"Hey, did something move over there?" she asked the boys.

"Dunno," Zoro answered.

"Sure it wasn't some kind of wild animal?" Guthrie asked back.

"Not sure. What about you Robin?" Nami then asked their archeologist.

"I didn't see a thing," she shrugged.

"Then I guess it was an animal..."

"Say, do you think we should check the other shore after all?" Robin then asked.

"No way! What if we get attacked by sharks again?!"

"By 'we', you mean 'you'," Guthrie muttered.

"Man, you're hopeless," Zoro also muttered.

* * *

 _ ***WITH CHIRITHY AND CHOPPER***_

The two small members of the crew continued to argue about who would get the hammer for a little while. Both then decided to settle it with a game of rock-paper-scissors, which was ironic, considering neither had thumbs, or even fingers. Despite that, Chopper was the one who lost the game and chosen to get the hammer back.

"I can't go near like this... I promised Zoro I'd fix the ship too..." Chopper said.

"Do your best~" Chirithy cheered, away from the railing closest to the stairs.

"At least help me get the hammer!"

"I don't want to die!"

"How do you think I feel?!" Finding that continuing the argument won't do any sort of good, Chopper gathered as much courage as possible and slid down the rails... quite noisily.

' _He does realize that noise is going to make them notice eventually, right?_ ' Chirithy wondered.

Chopper got to the last step and slowly walked over to the hammer. Once he had it in his hand/hooves, he was about to make his way back to the ship, when a bird's caw was heard, freaking him out. Chirithy also got scared, but he managed to keep his scream in. The Dream Eater looked around the area, hoping Chopper didn't alert the sharks.

"Chopper! Hurry up an-!" Chirithy was cut off as a sky shark leapt out of the water, mouth wide open to gobble up the man-reindeer. Luckily, the pirate doctor managed to avoid getting eaten and sat on the shark's snout. Said sea creature tried to shake him off by shaking his head.

"Chopper! Run!" the Dream Eater shouted, frantically waving his arms.

The man-reindeer did as told and rushed back to the ship, stopping at the mast, panting quite heavily. He tilted his head upwards and noticed the one saving grace left on the ship. "The whistle!"

"Huh? What about it?" Chirithy asked. Chopper placed it around his neck and the Dream Eater remembered what the whistle was meant for. "Wait! You can't take that!"

"Why not?!" the Devil Fruit user asked.

"Because, what if an enemy comes and stops you from blowing into it?!"

"But if that's true then we can't just leave it here!"

"Then let me have it! At least I'll be able to disappear and protect it then!"

Chopper thought about it and found that to be true. "Yeah. I guess-" He stopped himself when he realized something else. "Hold it! How do I know if you won't leave me to die?!"

"Huh?! What are you talking about?!" Chirithy questioned.

"You can't fight like Xion-nee's Dream Eaters! How do I know you won't poof away with the whistle the moment God or one of those priests comes?!"

"Then what about you?! How do I know you won't escape with the whistle while my back is turned?!"

"And why would I do that?!"

"As payback for winning that rock-paper-scissors!"

As the two continued to argue over the whistle, something was flying towards them. Chopper was the first to notice. "What is that?" Chirithy looked and also noticed the object flying towards them.

"Is that... a bird?" he guessed.

The bird got close to them, giving them a good view of it and the person riding it. The guy seemed to be a Skypeian in aviator clothes, with a pair of goggles on his head and a lance in his hand.

"What? You two are the only sacrifice I get to kill?" the rider asked, to their great fear. Almost instantly, Chopper went and blew the whistle.

* * *

 _ ***WITH GUTHRIE'S GROUP***_

The adventuring group took a break from all the walking and climbing somewhere in the forest. All of a sudden, they heard a sound.

"What was that?" Nami asked.

"Dunno. But stay there," Zoro answered, prepared to take out one of his swords.

Robin and Guthrie were also on alert, cautiously looking around the area.

A crocodile suddenly popped out from a cloud river above Nami, prepared the gobble up the girl. It would've succeeded too, had Robin not used her ability to clamp the mouth shut and Zoro and Guthrie hit it away, with the three sword style swordsman complaining about how sick he was of the creatures trying to eat them.

"What an unlucky day," Robin simply stated.

"No kidding. You okay, Nami?" Guthrie asked.

"Y-Yeah... Thanks," the navigator answered.

Just then, Guthrie stopped as he felt something. "Hang on, you guys," he told them.

"Now what?" Nami asked exasperatedly. The male Keyblade wielder didn't answer, but felt the atmosphere had changed. What was it? He didn't have a clue what it was.

"You feeling okay, Guthrie?" Zoro asked.

"I'm fine. But... don't you guys feel that?"

"Feel what?" Guthrie didn't respond, feeling that the answer should be obvious.

"I don't feel anything," Robin pointed out, looking about.

"If this is a way to freak me out, you're doing a good job!" Nami barked at him. "Let's just move on, okay?"

Guthrie shook his head, and closed his eyes, focusing. Instinctively, he summoned his Keyblade and tried to comprehend what was causing the change in the atmosphere. If the other three didn't feel it, then it was possible it was due to his connection to the Keyblade. Or possibly it was something else related to it. He wasn't too sure.

"…Chosen wielder…" said a voice, and Guthrie's eyes opened, looking about. Was that a voice?

"Now what are you doing?" Nami asked.

"I heard someone," the Keyblade wielder answered, and his head turned to where the voice came from. "Over there." He walked closer and closer to the voice, with the trio following behind him.

' _ **... Chosen wielder of the Keyblade...**_ ' the voice called out. ' _ **... I can feel your connection to our kind. Please, set me free...**_ '

"Set you free?" Guthrie asked. "What are you talking about?" The other three had no clue who he was talking to and questioned his sanity.

' _ **... You and your comrades…you have been surrounded by others of my kind,**_ ' the voice stated. ' _ **Please... Pass the challenge, and let me be part of your team...**_ '

"A challenge?" Guthrie echoed. He then recalled something Xion told him before, about how she got her Dream Eaters. "Wait, is this a challenge for gaining a Dream Eater recipe?"

The other three were shocked at this. "Hold on. You saying there's a Dream Eater recipe here?" Zoro asked.

"As in one of the recipes that Xion has been searching for?" Nami asked. "Is one really here?"

"But Xion is not here," Robin pointed out. "How can we do the challenge without her?"

"Maybe it's due to the fact that I'm a Keyblade wielder," Guthrie guessed. "Or possibly it's because I have Chirithy, who's also a Dream Eater. Maybe that makes me qualified to take the challenge."

' ** _... Your friends can join in on this challenge,_** ' the voice stated. ' _ **... Please defeat all of the enemies around here, with two extra challenges; don't fall asleep and don't get shocked.**_ '

Confused at this, Guthrie wondered why he would fall asleep in this fight or be shocked during a fight. Suddenly, the four pirates noticed the area about them burst forth with pink smoke, and a couple dozen sheep-like monsters, some plant-like monsters, and some giraffe-like monsters. They all had the Nightmare emblem on them.

"What the hell is this?!" Zoro demanded, drawing his blades.

"Apparently, we have to defeat them all in order to get the recipe," Guthrie told them, getting into a fighting stance. "But the voice also added that we shouldn't fall asleep or be shocked. I don't see how any of them can surprise us."

' _ **No, just you.**_ ' the voice corrected Guthrie.

"Why just me?!"

"But why would it ask not to fall asleep or be surprised?" Robin asked, crossing her arms in preparation.

One of the sheep launched its horns at Zoro, who repelled them with his blades. A giraffe dashed towards him, coated in lightning. Zoro charged back at it and the sheep, unleashing two slashes with his blades, knocking them out into a puff of smoke. Guthrie also made a launch forward with his Keyblade, unleashing an Ice Dash that destroyed a plant and sheep Dream Eater.

Suddenly, a vine of thorns produced themselves in front of Zoro, binding his legs. "What-?! Hey! Get off!" he barked, trying to break free. Before he could free himself, a sheep came along, bouncing up to his face and emanated a pulse of energy. He suddenly felt drowsy as he fell backwards, and fell asleep, producing a snot bubble as he did so.

"Zoro, this is no time for a nap!" Nami scolded him.

"It must be that Dream Eater!" Robin noticed. "It must've used some sort of sleep spell." Another giraffe came and unleashed some lightning on the girls. Both managed to avoid it in time.

"Crap! That's what it meant!" Guthrie grumbled. "If I get hit by a Sleep or Thunder spell, then it's game over. We need to beat them all before that happens." He turned to Nami, seeing her quiver as she huddled herself close to Robin. "Nami, why aren't you fighting?! Show me you can fight like the rest of us!"

"Easier said than done!" Nami answered. "I've never fought Dream Eaters before and the ones I've seen are really tough!"

"So?! That's no excuse!" Guthrie answered, unleashing an Aeroga spell to blow several Dream Eaters away. "I get you are not as strong as the rest of us, but that's no excuse to not fight back when the going gets tough!" He saw she still wasn't budging and thought for a moment as he backed away from some Dream Eaters. After unleashing a Strike Raid on them, he came up with an added notion. "Let me put it this way. What's more scarier? These things, or Xion's rage in questioning you why we failed to get a recipe for her?"

The latter thought gave Nami a horrible daydream, of Xion pointing her Keyblade at all of them with her demonic face, demanding why they failed to get something important as that for her, before burning them up with a fire spell. That was enough of a motive for the navigator to give in.

"Alright, fine!" she barked. "But can you at least give me a minute to unleash an attack?!"

"You got it," Guthrie answered, relieved to hear her get over herself. "Robin, provide cover! I'll see if I can't get Zoro to wake up!"

"Of course," the archeologist answered, turning to four Dream Eaters approaching them. " **Ocho Fluer:** " She grabbed ahold of the Dream Eaters by the backs of their legs. " **Flip!** " She then sent them hammering backwards on their heads. At this time, Nami twirled her Clima Tact weapons, producing Cool and Heat Balls, which started to create a cloud in the sky above them.

Guthrie charged forward, flipping over a pair of thorn vines produced by the plant Dream Eaters and saw the culprits nearby where Zoro slept.

"Let's try this move I got from Jaya," he decided. " **Sonic Blade!** " He unleashed his new technique, going into a high speed dash at the Nightmares, slashing them from all sides with continuous dashes, ending with one final dash that destroyed them both. "Up and at 'em, sleepyhead." Guthrie conked Zoro's head with the tip of his Keyblade light enough to cause him to wake up without too much damage.

"What happened?" the First Mate asked.

"You got succumbed to the Sleep spell of the Nightmares," Guthrie answered, turning to see the storm cloud above Nami and Robin. "And now, it looks like Nami is finally gonna do something to help."

"The weather forecast today is cloudy," Nami stated. "High chances of thunder raining down. Better steer clear of them if you don't want the shock of your life! **Thunder Ball**!" She threw a ball of electricity up at the storm cloud, causing it to crackle. Nami and Robin looked to one another and raced out of the way as the Nightmares got in close. " **Thunderbolt Tempo**!" Before they could pursue, a storm of lightning rained down on the enemies, electrifying them out of existence.

"That's how you do it, Nami!" Guthrie cheered. "You totally have the skills to fight!" Nami looked to Guthrie, pumping her chest in pride as she gave him a thumbs up at being appreciated for her fighting prowess.

"Hey, I already took care of the rest of them!" Zoro pointed out, as the remaining Dream Eaters vanished.

"I guess we passed the challenge." Robin summed up, grinning at Guthrie, who nodded in agreement.

' _ **... Thank you,**_ ' the voice spoke up again. ' ** _...You completed the challenge. I can already see I will get along well with all of you. Please, accept me._** ' A ball of light appeared in front of Guthrie, taking the form of a paper containing a recipe for a creature called a 'Thunderaffe'.

"Welcome to the group," Guthrie told the voice. There was no response from his thanks. ' ** _Guess I can't hear its voice after receiving the recipe,_** ' he assumed.

"Well, that's one thing we accomplished for Xion," Nami stated, as everyone regrouped.

"Heh! Proves that we can take those things on without her," Zoro chuckled.

"Funny, considering you were the one who was asleep through more than half of it," Robin pointed out, causing the swordsman to look disgruntled at that fact.

"Whatever. We got a recipe for her, so we'll give it to her when she, Luffy, Sanji and Ussop join us again," Guthrie decided, pocketing the recipe. "Let's keep moving. We still have no idea what this island has in store for us."

As three of the team started walking off, the usual whiner of the group questioned, "Why?! We just found a recipe, so let's head back before something else bad happens to us!" She noticed her outcries ignored, so she moaned as she followed after them.

* * *

 _ ***BACK TO THE RESCUE GROUP***_

They were having a harder time than ever with Satori. The guy kept predicting their attacks, using his palm attacks on them, and even kicking his surprise balls at the group. Usopp was the first to go after Sanji.

"Usopp!" Luffy cried out.

"Luffy! Look out!" Xion shouted, moving away from her spot, as the priest kicked more balls their way.

The rubberman looked back and saw them coming, but took the chance and hoped they were duds, only for them to all explode at his face.

"I told you to look out!" the vice exclaimed in disbelief.

"And then there was one," came Satori's voice. Xion looked back up and saw him simply sitting on one of the balls. "Hoh hoh hoo! Now then, what will you do?"


	13. Great Danger and Ordeals

**Heya folks! We're back with another chapter of SCP: Soaring to the Sky! Let's get started with the chapter~!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or Kingdom Hearts. I do not own Guthrie and, soon to join, Allen. Well, actually I kind of do own him.**

* * *

 ** _*OPENING*_**

 _ **Let's fly to the sky**  
(The sun rises as Merry sails across the ocean)_  
 _ **There's not a single cloud in the sky  
** (All the current Straw Hats watched the sun rises, Luffy on the figurehead)_

 _ **Let's fly to the sky. (It's time to fly around) Catch the perfect breeze for you  
** (The camera faces the sky as the title appears on the screen) **  
Paint the sky with (Let's go to the wonder world) imagination that no one's ever seen  
** (Camera faces back to the Going Merry as everyone went on with their peaceful business)_

 _ **OH! OH! Even if it's too dazzling (Come on)  
** (Xion looked up and saw Marines ahead of them and warned everyone) **  
OH! OH! under the sun**_  
 _(They all prepared themselves for battle. Marines fired cannon balls at them) **  
OH! OH! If it's you, you can make it! Throw away your pride and FLY!  
** (Luffy, Zoro and Sanji sent the cannons back at them. Usopp fired a cannon of their own with Xion, in her Wisdom Form, unleashed Triple Firaga at them, followed by a Thundaga, clearing their path)_

 _ **Everyday is plain!** **  
Real talent makes the world go round**_  
 _(Going Merry sailed through the smoke. Everyone looked content as they enjoyed the sea breeze) **  
Deceit won't work anymore.  
** (Scene changed to Jaya in Mock Town, as camera faced each of the Blackbeard Pirates.) **  
Mayday, the red light is stopping you too  
** (Scene changed to Cricket's home, showing Cricket with Masira and Shojo side by side.)_

 _ **Lend me an ear! And I'm gonna stick on my RAP! Wussup!  
** (Guthrie fights against some pirates and Heartless. One tried to sneak up on him and Chirithy knocked it away.)_  
 _ **"From tomorrow on I'll get serious!"- seriously cut it out with excuses like that  
** (Allen danced as he dodged the attacks of the pirates and attacked them at the same time)_  
 _ **Increase your money with your dream! Time is money like NASDAQ!  
** (The Straw Hats looked at Cricket's gold and searched for the South Bird) **  
When will you do it boy? It's now or never man! This is the moment, right?  
** (The crew then arrived at the Knock Up Stream and went to the skies.)_

 _ **Everybody put ya hands in the air and clap ya hands like this like that**_  
 _ **Clap ya hands everybody! Everybody just clap ya hands!  
** (Scenes quickly changed to different scenes. Xion and Guthrie crossed blades, Luffy's one-hit KO on Bellamy, the group trying to catch the South Bird, then finally their first encounter with the Shandia Warriors)_

 _ **Let's fly to the sky (It's time to fly around) Catch the perfect breeze for you  
** (The Straw Hat Pirates arrived on Skypiea and were approached by the White Berets and fought them) **  
Paint the sky with (Let's go to the wonder world) imagination that no one's ever seen  
** (Scene changed to the group in the Upper Yard fighting against Heartless, Shandians and Priests)_

 _ **OH! OH! Even if it's too dazzling (Come on)  
** (Scene changed to Xion fighting against a blonde Organization XIII member with knives and lightning magic) **  
OH! OH! under the sun  
** (Changed to Guthrie and Allen teaming up against the Nobodies)_ _ **  
OH! OH! If it's you, you can make it! Throw away your pride and FLY!  
** (Changed to Luffy battling Enel. In a flash of light, opening ends with all of Straw Hats on Merry, facing the camera)_

* * *

 _Last time:_

 _As Chopper and Chirithy continued to argue over the whistle, something was flying towards them. Chopper was the first to notice. "What is that?" Chirithy looked and also noticed the object flying towards them._

 _"Is that... a bird?" he guessed._

 _The bird got close to them, giving them a good view of it and the person riding it. The guy seemed to be a Skypeian in aviator clothes, with a pair of goggles on his head and a lance in his hand._

 _"What? You two are the only sacrifice I get to kill?" the rider asked, to their great fear. Almost instantly, Chopper went and blew the whistle._

* * *

 _ ***WITH GUTHRIE'S GROUP***_

 _"Well, that's one thing we accomplished for Xion," Nami stated, as everyone regrouped._

 _"Heh! Proves that we can take those things on without her," Zoro chuckled._

 _"Funny, considering you were the one who was asleep through more than half of it," Robin pointed out, causing the swordsman to look disgruntled at that fact._

 _"Whatever. We got a recipe for her, so we'll give it to her when she, Luffy, Sanji and Ussop join us again," Guthrie decided, pocketing the recipe. "Let's keep moving. We still have no idea what this island has in store for us."_

 _As three of the team started walking off, the usual whiner of the group questioned, "Why?! We just found a recipe, so let's head back before something else bad happens to us!" She noticed her outcries ignored, so she moaned as she followed after them._

* * *

 _ ***BACK TO THE RESCUE GROUP***_

 _They were having a harder time than ever with Satori. The guy kept predicting their attacks, using his palm attacks on them, and even kicking his surprise balls at the group. Usopp was the first to go after Sanji._

 _"Usopp!" Luffy cried out._

 _"Luffy! Look out!" Xion shouted, moving away from her spot, as the priest kicked more balls their way._

 _The rubberman looked back and saw them coming, but took the chance and hoped they were duds, only for them to all explode at his face._

 _"I told you to look out!" the vice exclaimed in disbelief._

 _"And then there was one," came Satori's voice. Xion looked back up and saw him simply sitting on one of the balls. "Hoh hoh hoo! Now then, what will you do?"_

* * *

Back to the smallest pirates, both trembled in fear as the priest before them approached.

"Now, off your lives to God Eneru," he said, stabbing his spear down. The two non-humans managed to avoid the strike in time. As the priest removed his weapon from its place, flames emerged from where it struck.

"Fire...!" Chopper gasped.

"Why do you struggle?" the aviator priest asked, getting back on his bird's back. "There's no way you can escape death. Die gracefully!" His ride breathed out fire, to the Devil Fruit user and Dream Eater's shock as they both avoided the flames once more. However, in doing so, the rope holding up the mast was set ablaze instead.

"Ah! Merry!" Chirithy cried out, as he and Chopper, who changed in his Heavy Point, went to try to put the fire out. As the Devil Fruit user changed, the Dream Eater could've sword that, just before he did, he heard the priest said something about Chopper getting bigger.

"Hey, hey! Why do you care when there won't be anyone to get on board?!" said priest questioned. "You and your friends cannot escape death."

"Who the hell are you?!" Chopper demanded.

"And stay away from our friends!" Chirithy shouted.

The aviator leapt off his bird to stab Chopper, who managed to change into his small size to avoid the strike. "Then... offer your lives instead!" He punched Chopper, causing him to crash into Chirithy and kicked them into the mast.

His bird then proceeded to roast them alive, in which both managed to avoid once more. In turn, though, the mast was burned instead. Both panicked at the sight and tried to put out the flames.

"Stop it! Stop burning up the ship!" Chirithy told the priest, as he and Chopper, in Heavy Point form again, tried to find a way to stop the fire from burning the ship down.

"Damn it!" Chopper cursed, as he grabbed hold of the mast, to his friend's shock.

"Chopper! What are you doing?! You'll burn!"

The man-reindeer didn't seem to care what happened to him, as he somehow managed to tear the mast off and tossed it overboard and into the clouds. Chirithy was amazed by Chopper's will and determination.

"You bastard... You bastard! Stop it already!" Chopper told the priest. "We're in charge of this ship! They asked us to look after it!"

The priest seemed to be lost in thought. "Well, what should we do, Fuza?" he asked his bird. "He says not to harm their friends. He says not to damage the ship. He says he doesn't want to die. What a dilemma. They really irk me, those damn selfish animals."

* * *

With Guthrie's group, the four walked across a large tree trunk to continue investigating Upper Yard.

"Hey, Nami! Get a move on!" Zoro told the navigator in front of him, while Robin and Guthrie were in front of them.

"Shut up! Don't talk to me right now!" Nami shouted. "What'll you do if I fall?!"

"Is there ever a time where you don't complain about something so small?" Guthrie demanded. "I swear, if I hear another complaint from your mouth, I'll kick you off so we can have some silence!"

Before Nami could retort to his claim, a pair of Sky Sharks suddenly jumped out of the clouds from both side, seemingly to eat them. Nami instantly freaked and slipped, falling to the White Sea. Both Guthrie and Zoro took out their blades and each killed a shark. Both now-dead man-eating fish fell back into the sea they came. Seeing that the danger had passed, both guys put away their weapons.

"Hey! You okay?" Zoro half-heartedly asked, as Guthrie continued to walk across the trunk.

"Yeah... Somehow..." Nami answered, saved from Robin's Devil Fruit powers.

"What do you say?" Guthrie then asked, watching as the navigator shakily crawled back to their level.

"My apologies... for troubling you so often..."

"Not what I was looking for, but close enough." Guthrie looked back at Robin and saw the woman stopped in her track, staring at something. "What's wrong, Robin?"

"Did you see a God?" Zoro asked.

"No... A well," she answered.

"A well?" Nami repeated in a questioned tone, as the archeologist went towards the well with the male Keyblade wielder by her side.

* * *

 _ ***BACK TO CHIRITHY AND CHOPPER***_

"The ship... Your friends... Yourselves... You don't want to lose any of those?" the priest questioned, charging at his 'sacrifices' with his weapon. Both managed to avoid the stab again. "If you both want to love so much, why are you both weak?!" He pushed his spear deeper into the ship's railing.

"Stop it! That spear burns things!" Chopper pleaded. As if on cue, the ship was set on fire again. The priest jumped back as soon as the fire started, and Chopper tried to put it out once more.

"Why you!" Chirithy jumped at the spear wielder in an attempt to attack him, only to be avoided as the guy jumped to higher ground.

"So you two are trying to live... without sacrificing anything?" he asked.

' _What's with him?! It's like he can predict my and Chopper's movements!_ ' Chirithy thought. At this time, Chopper managed to put out the fire.

"For someone to live, another must die," the priest said. "That's how life is." Both the Dream Eater and the Devil Fruit user glared at him as he said that. "Did you know this is the sacrificial altar?"

"Y-Yeah. We heard something like that," Chopper said.

"It's true. The rest of your group is desperately trying to get here. There are four separate areas that we, the priests, govern. The rules are that if the targets are in one area, the other priests aren't suppose to do anything to the targets. But this sacrificial altar doesn't belong in any of the four areas. In other words, it's a free area. So it doesn't matter who strikes the one at the altar. But it should be after those who are receiving the ordeal in some area die."

Both members of the Straw Hat gasped as they heard that. "Then Xion-nee and the others-!" Chopper spoke.

"Don't freak out. My coming here doesn't mean your friends' deaths... unfortunately... I came here for a different reason."

"What different reason?" Chirithy asked.

"Hang on! Does that mean that if Xion-nee and the others get here, then we can get out of here?!" the ship's doctor asked.

"Yeah, that's right," the priest confirmed. "If you can get out of the free area. But hold that thought. The reason I came here is because, although those are the normal judgement rules, when there's an exceptional situation, the rules change a little."

"Exceptional?"

"Like what?"

"For example, when four sacrifices escaped to the forest over there without permission using the vines."

The two nodded in understanding, before realizing something off and odd about what he just said. Not that there was a mistake in what he said, but there was something funny about it. The two then recalled Zoro, Robin, Nami and Guthrie leaving via vine and right at the direction the priest pointed to.

' _IT'S HIS FAULT!_ ' both mentally shouted, referring to Zoro since it was his idea to leave in the first place.

* * *

 _ ***BACK TO GUTHRIE'S TEAM***_

Guthrie and Robin walked closer to the well to inspect it. As they walked, they could hear Nami and Zoro talking behind their backs, mainly the former complaining about the hardships she had to go through.

"I question how Xion managed with someone like her," Guthrie muttered.

"Why are you irritated with our navigator?" Robin asked.

"Because it's a waste of breath to always complain about what might happen, when it might not. If she hasn't grown a pair from all the adventures she had to deal with up till now, then why doesn't she just give up and go back home?! It's like I said; Life's tough, but you have to overcome it all in order to keep moving forward with your life! I'm trying to do that..."

Robin nodded in understanding with what he said. Especially since she's trying to overcome her own life.

* * *

 _ ***AGAIN TO CHIRITHY AND CHOPPER***_

The two trembled in fear as the priest continued his explanation. "Someone has to die to atone for the others' escaping. Sacrifice is a fact of life. Especially if they are to return, in order that they can deeply realize their own fault when they see their own friends' death. Now offer your life... to God!" He took out his spear again and shot himself down at the two.

Chopper clenched his fist and threw a punch, not wanting to die, while Chirithy cowered in fear.

Seeing his friend fight despite the zero-chance in winning made the Dream Eater look down on himself in disappointment. ' _If only... If only I can fight..._ ' he thought.

"You first, reindeer," he heard the priest said. Looking back up, he saw Chopper now in a chokehold by the guy. "Die."

"Stop it!" Chirithy shouted.

Before he could stab his spear down, he seemed to have sensed someone coming. From above, a familiar figure clashed his own spear with the priest's.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting," the new arrival apologized.

"Sky Knight!" Chopper cried out.

"Heh. Looks like a surprise guest showed up," the priest stated, pushing Gan Fall away from him. The sky knight landed on the back of his bird, safe from the shark-infested cloud. In turn, the aviator priest jumped on his own bird and began an aerial battle between the two.

* * *

Meanwhile, with Xion's group, they were all weakened from the battle against Satori. No matter what they do, the guy kept on easily avoiding their attacks and either used his palm technique or knocked one of his balls into them. The boys were all down and Xion could barely stay on her feet.

"Impressive indeed," the round priest commented. "Well, then, as a reward, I'll give you my prized finishing blow! Hoh hoo!"

"'Finishing blow'?" Xion repeated. Her eyes widened as some of the balls started to form together.

"Surprise Balls! Ball Dragon!"

By this time, the boys all regained conscious and saw what was going on.

"What? It's all surprise balls bunched together," Luffy said like it wasn't anything special. "Are we suppose to be surprise by that?"

"Idiot! It's because it's all surprise balls bunched together that we should be careful!" Xion shouted.

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"You should listen to the girl," Satori advised. "All these surprise balls are explosives and have sharp weapons."

Usopp gasped as he realized what it meant. "What?! Then that means..."

"You touch the fire-bomb ball somewhere on its body, it's game over. One explosion will set off another and its gigantic body will instantly cause a huge explosion! Surprise Balls! Go, Ball Dragon!" His ball dragon charged at the Straw Hat Pirates.

"Everyone avoid it!" Xion shouted, already running away from the thing's path.

" **Gomu Gomu no...** " she started to hear, causing her to skid to a stop as she turned and saw a certain idiot prepared to land a punch on it. " **Pistol!** "

"Wait, stop Luffy!" Thankfully for her, Usopp went and stopped their captain from killing them all. "Didn't you hear Xion?! Whatever you do, don't touch it! If you lay even one finger on it, we'll be blown to bits!"

Luffy irritatedly pushed the sniper off him. "Then how do we beat it if we can't hit it?!" he demanded.

"This is not the time to be fighting that thing, you idiot! Our only option is to run!" Xion shouted. She looked back and saw the Ball Dragon coming back to them. "It's coming back!" She and the two boys ran for their lives once more.

"So we can only run?!"

"Isn't that obvious?!" Xion looked behind her and saw Satori's secret weapon closing in. "It's catching up! Jump! **Aeroga!** " While Luffy and Usopp jumped to avoid the Ball Dragon, Xion used her wind magic to avoid the fake, round beast.

She landed safely on a tree branch and sighed in slight relief. An explosion was heard and Xion saw the two boys lying on the ground, slightly more burnt.

"Hoh hoh hoo! You quite are stubborn ones," Satori stated. "But if you died before you experienced the power of the Ball Dragon, it wouldn't be fun."

* * *

Meanwhile, elsewhere on Sky Island, there is a village hidden in the clouds near Upper Yard. Running right across the village on the clouds was a little girl wearing a fur dress and a cap. She stopped and looked around, checking to see if there was anyone nearby, before jumping down one spot on the cloud. In doing so, she had arrived at her hidden village.

"Aisa!" came a voice, catching her by surprise. "Where have you been?"

"Ah! Kamakiri!" the girl, Aisa gasped.

Kamakiri was a mohawk guy wearing red-lens sunglasses, red fur vest, and a grass skirt. He was polishing some daggers, holding one in his mouth by the back of the blade.

"Upper Yard again? That's Vearth in your bag, isn't it?" Kamakiri guessed. "Don't go there too often or you'll lose your life."

Aisa stuck her tongue out at the guy. "Don't tell me what to do! You haven't been able to beat Eneru yet! And Allen-nii always gets to go up there and he isn't even allowed to fight with you guys!"

Kamakiri stopped polishing his daggers at her claims. He was about to tell her off, when he saw her run off. "That damn brat. And not only that, the outsider went up again? Well, better him than any of us."

* * *

Aisa kept running until she reached a tent. Before she could sneak in, a big guy wearing a hat big enough to cover half his head walked out. "Aisa," he called, surprising her enough for her to fall on her behind.

"What?! I didn't go to Upper Yard!" she quickly assumed.

"Don't go into the tent yet," he calmly told her. "Wyper, or rather, the man descended from the Great Warrior Calgara, is angry."

Aisa saw his point and calmed herself. "Yeah. That is scary," she said, looking at a statue nearby. It was one of a man, most likely the Great Warrior Calgara. "He's scarier than God."

"Yeah. By the way, have you seen Allen?"

"Huh? He's not here?" she asked.

"No. Knowing him though, he's probably doing his outsider thing. Man, I know he's his cousin and all, but I question why Wyper bothered having him join us in our upcoming fight."

Aisa looked at him in confusion. "Huh? I thought he wasn't going to fight with you guys."

"That's what we want. Wyper, on the other hand, wants the outsider to fight alongside us. All he's going to do is get in our way with how he does things."

Aisa looked down in thought at what he said. ' _They don't want Allen-nii to join? But why? And why is he always an outsider to them?_ '

* * *

Back to Chopper and Chirithy, both small members of the Straw Hat pirates watched as Gan Fall and Shura exchanged blows.

"They both move so fast," the latter said, for the warriors both clashed a bit too fast for them to follow.

"It's awesome," the former commented in awe.

"I no longer think I can negotiate with your group!" Gan Fall shouted, as he was back on Pierre's back.

"You're as soft as ever!" the priest he fought stated.

Both got off their birds and clashed spears once more. They were back on their rides and soared through the air. Both passed each other, but Gan Fall managed to wound the priest. Suddenly, for some reason, he and Pierre stayed in mid air, unmoving. Both Chopper and Chirithy were shocked at the development while the priest let out a laugh.

"Is there something wrong, Gan Fall?!" he mocked.

"What did you do?!" he demanded.

' _Why? Why can't we move?!_ ' Gan Fall wondered.

"You won't need the answer... in death," the priest said. He stabbed his spear through the Sky Knight. Both Shopper and Chirithy whimpered in shock at the turnaround. "Profound mystery... String Ordeal. You can enter Upper Yard, but you have to face difficult ordeals from us, the four priests! Don't think we can be beaten so easily!" Removing his weapon from Gan Fall, the Sky Knight fell to the cloud below. "God Eneru is... someone who is glorious and distant."

"S-... Sky Knight!" Chopper cried out, as the fallen hit the waters. "We have to save them!" Chopper was about to jump into the clouds, when Chirithy pulled him back.

"Don't, Chopper! If you go down there, you'll drown!" he said.

"But we have to do something!"

"I'll go get him then!" Before Chopper could say anything, the Dream Eater jumped into the clouds below.

"Chirithy!" he cried out.

"Oh? So instead of waiting for me to kill one of you, he decided to jump off and be eaten by sharks instead," the priest said. "Either way, that Paramecia's life will be offered to God Eneru! Now as for you, how about you follow your friend?" Chopper looked up as the priest's bird breathed out flames at him, causing the Devil Fruit user to jump away from the attack. Thankfully, Merry wasn't burned this time, but Chopper was now falling into the cloud.

Pierre looked on in shock at what had just occurred.

"You're a Zoan, too, aren't you?" the priest asked the bird. Pierre looked behind him and saw the aviator ready to strike him down. "Go join your master." With that, the bird was sent into the cloud with Gan Fall and the two Straw Hats.

"Ah, how absurd. I can't believe how weak they all are," the priest said. "If this was a bottomless river, there'd still have been some hope. But unfortunately, this river does have a bottom. Now then, I wonder if those four escapees have already been hunted."

* * *

With the escapees in question, Robin was digging up information on the well. Guthrie was by her side, watching her make her discovery.

"Is that well that strange?" he asked.

"Yes. It is unbelievable that a well would be stuck underneath a tree," she explained, as one of her many arms brought up a vile of small amount of what seemed like dirt or muddy water. "The balance between civilization and nature here seems off."

"Well in any case, unless if we come up with a way to cross this cloud river, we can't walk around this forest," Zoro said. "We're far from meeting God."

"The civilization couldn't estimate the growth of this tree," Robin added. "I've never seen a case like this before."

"Oi, Nami! Can you see anything from up there?!" Zoro called out to the navigator, who sat far high up on a tree branch, looking around their current location. "Hey! Say something! Did you find God?!"

"You really want to challenge him, don't you?" Guthrie questioned.

"I wonder if Nami saw something," Robin said, noticing that the girl hasn't moved from her spot, still looking at one direction with her binoculars.

From up above, Nami finally let down her binoculars, her face filled with shock. "This island... It can't be..."

* * *

Back to Xion's group, they were having a hard time with Satori's Ball Dragon and surprise balls. Xion and the boys were practically down from the explosive balls or exhaustion.

"Hoh hoh hoo! Hoh hoh hoo! You're pretty much dead. Hurry up and rest in peace. I'm a priest, you can never win," Satori claimed.

"I-I can't take it anymore!" Usopp managed to say. "My heart can't take any more surprises."

"Soon you'll be out of options. You're boat has nearly reached this forest's exit. When that happens, it's all over. So long as you can't fly like birds, you won't be able to get out of here. You'll wander around this forest and die from exhaustion! Hoh hoo!"

"That won't... happen!" Luffy shouted, getting back up and throwing another Pistol at the round opponent.

Satori smoothly avoided the strike. "But it will. Go, Surprise Balls!" At his command, his dragon chased after Luffy once more. "Now it's showtime! Which one is the fire-bomb ball? Touch it and there'll be an astonishing huge explosion!"

While he was talking, Xion took out a Dream Eater card and whispered something into it. Not only that, but Usopp ran away from the scene.

Luffy saw a tree up ahead and thought about running up to escape the dragon.

"Oh? Climbing up that tree to escape, are you?" Satori mind-read.

"Why can he read my mind?! Don't follow me!" the pirate captain demanded, running up the tree and was about to go over the dragon, when he felt himself cling onto something.

Satori felt himself being yanked from his cane. "What?!"

Luffy took a good look at what he held on to and connected the dots. "Oh, I see. This thing's being controlled by this string. In that case, I'll break it!" With his brute strength, Luffy ripped the string in two, ceasing the priest's control over the Ball Dragon.

"I can't control Ball Dragon anymore! Impudent brat! Just hang on and come to me then!" Satori pulled Luffy closer to him. In doing so, however, since Luffy still had a tight grip on both strings, he was also dragging the Ball Dragon to his way. "Hey, don't hang on with the other hand too!" The next thing they knew, a huge explosion occurred.

Weapons of all kinds were embedded in trees or ground right where a big crater formed. Above the crater, covered in soot and panting, was Satori on a Surprise Ball. "That was close! What an unbelievable idiot!" he said. "No, he might've been determined to take me with him. This isn't good. I'm insufficiently trained! He took control of the pace for a second! If I can't stay calm over a little thing like this, it'll hinder my Mantra!"

"You're right!" he heard, to his great shock and surprise. "That was close!" He looked around to try and locate the voice but couldn't find the source.

He looked behind him and saw Luffy clinging onto his back, more specifically his wings. "You're still alive?! Get off of me! You idiot! Don't stick to me, you weirdo!" Satori tried to get Luffy off of his wings.

"Don't let him go, Luffy," came Sanji's voice.

"Keep a good hold on him, captain," followed Xion's.

"Oh, Sanji! Xion! You're both still alive?" Luffy asked.

"WE ALMOST DIED BECAUSE OF YOU! PAY MORE ATTENTION TO YOUR SURROUNDINGS!"

"YOU IDIOT! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?! YOU'RE LUCKY I HAVE A SPELL THAT PROTECTED US FROM THAT BLAST!"

Calming themselves from the near-death experience, they both got back to the matter at hand.

"In any case, doughboy..." Sanji lit up a cigarette and breathed some smoke out. "You keep saying 'ordeal this', 'ordeal that', but frankly it's got nothing to do with us. However, we accept that stupid sky ordeal. The reason is because there are two helpless ladies waiting for me to rescue them. In other words... yes... This is... the ordeal of love!"

' _Is he an idiot too?!_ ' Satori mentally questioned.

"Ahh! I said get off of me!" he panicked, still trying to get Luffy off of him. An idea then came to him. "Oh, that's right! If you let me go, I'll let this ordeal slide and take you to your boat! You can't get out of here without it after all!"

"By boat... Do you mean that one over there?" Xion asked, pointing at a cloud river nearby. The boys turned and saw their very Crow tied by a vine to a tree near it.

"HUH?! When did you-?!" Satori was cut off when Gunma flew by, landing on Xion's raised arm.

"Well done, Gunma," she complimented. The owl Dream Eater puffed its chest out with pride.

Satori panicked as he saw nothing that could save him and resumed getting Luffy off him, when the rubberman wrapped his legs around him. "Ah! D-Dammit! Let me go! You guys are playing dirty, attacking three- no, four on one!"

Sanji blew another smoke. "You creeps kidnapped out friends. You made a cute angel cry and tried to kill her. You have no right to say that we play dirty."

"Well, even if you didn't do that, you seem to have forgotten something," Xion added. "We're pirates. Who says we have to play fair?"

"They're both right," Luffy agreed. "It's amazing that you can predict our every moves. But even if you can predict them, it doesn't mean anything if you can't avoid them, does it?" Satori was sweating uncontrollably when the straw hat boy asked that.

"I-Idiots! Stop it! I'm one of the priests that serves God! Let me go! Hey, are you listening?!" he demanded, freaking out even more as Sanji and Xion's ball floated closer to them. "Not being judged by a priest is a first degree crime in Skypeia! Now listen here! Attacking me means you declare war on Almighty God Eneru!"

"Shut your mouth! Or the flavor will escape," Sanji told him. "For example, when you want to produce the supreme mignonnette from pepper, the important thing is to strongly, roughly, and without hesitation, beat it to pulp." Both he and Xion leapt into the air. "Then the wonderful flavor confined inside will be..." Sanji started to flip over rapidly, with Xion giving him a boost with her Aero.

"Ahhh! Ahhh! Stop it!" Satori begged. "Stop it! It's gonna hurt! Stop it!"

In the end, though, Sanji's hard heel hit hard on the priest's head. " **Concasse!** " The attack was strong enough to break Satori's glasses and forced a couple of teeth out, as well as leaving his head a bloody mess.


	14. Discovery and Report

**Welcome back again, everyone, to the SCP series~! Now, in this chapter, there is a small surprise for you people~ One I hope you all enjoy very much. That said, let's start this chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or Kingdom Hearts. I do not own Guthrie and, soon to join, Allen. Well, actually I kind of do own him.**

* * *

 ** _*OPENING*_**

 _ **Let's fly to the sky**  
(The sun rises as Merry sails across the ocean)_  
 _ **There's not a single cloud in the sky  
** (All the current Straw Hats watched the sun rises, Luffy on the figurehead)_

 _ **Let's fly to the sky. (It's time to fly around) Catch the perfect breeze for you  
** (The camera faces the sky as the title appears on the screen) **  
Paint the sky with (Let's go to the wonder world) imagination that no one's ever seen  
** (Camera faces back to the Going Merry as everyone went on with their peaceful business)_

 _ **OH! OH! Even if it's too dazzling (Come on)  
** (Xion looked up and saw Marines ahead of them and warned everyone) **  
OH! OH! under the sun**_  
 _(They all prepared themselves for battle. Marines fired cannon balls at them) **  
OH! OH! If it's you, you can make it! Throw away your pride and FLY!  
** (Luffy, Zoro and Sanji sent the cannons back at them. Usopp fired a cannon of their own with Xion, in her Wisdom Form, unleashed Triple Firaga at them, followed by a Thundaga, clearing their path)_

 _ **Everyday is plain!** **  
Real talent makes the world go round**_  
 _(Going Merry sailed through the smoke. Everyone looked content as they enjoyed the sea breeze) **  
Deceit won't work anymore.  
** (Scene changed to Jaya in Mock Town, as camera faced each of the Blackbeard Pirates.) **  
Mayday, the red light is stopping you too  
** (Scene changed to Cricket's home, showing Cricket with Masira and Shojo side by side.)_

 _ **Lend me an ear! And I'm gonna stick on my RAP! Wussup!  
** (Guthrie fights against some pirates and Heartless. One tried to sneak up on him and Chirithy knocked it away.)_  
 _ **"From tomorrow on I'll get serious!"- seriously cut it out with excuses like that  
** (Allen danced as he dodged the attacks of the pirates and attacked them at the same time)_  
 _ **Increase your money with your dream! Time is money like NASDAQ!  
** (The Straw Hats looked at Cricket's gold and searched for the South Bird) **  
When will you do it boy? It's now or never man! This is the moment, right?  
** (The crew then arrived at the Knock Up Stream and went to the skies.)_

 _ **Everybody put ya hands in the air and clap ya hands like this like that**_  
 _ **Clap ya hands everybody! Everybody just clap ya hands!  
** (Scenes quickly changed to different scenes. Xion and Guthrie crossed blades, Luffy's one-hit KO on Bellamy, the group trying to catch the South Bird, then finally their first encounter with the Shandia Warriors)_

 _ **Let's fly to the sky (It's time to fly around) Catch the perfect breeze for you  
** (The Straw Hat Pirates arrived on Skypiea and were approached by the White Berets and fought them) **  
Paint the sky with (Let's go to the wonder world) imagination that no one's ever seen  
** (Scene changed to the group in the Upper Yard fighting against Heartless, Shandians and Priests)_

 _ **OH! OH! Even if it's too dazzling (Come on)  
** (Scene changed to Xion fighting against a blonde Organization XIII member with knives and lightning magic) **  
OH! OH! under the sun  
** (Changed to Guthrie and Allen teaming up against the Nobodies)_ _ **  
OH! OH! If it's you, you can make it! Throw away your pride and FLY!  
** (Changed to Luffy battling Eneru. In a flash of light, opening ends with all of Straw Hats on Merry, facing the camera)_

* * *

 _Last time:_

 _"You creeps kidnapped out friends. You made a cute angel cry and tried to kill her. You have no right to say that we play dirty."_

 _"Well, even if you didn't do that, you seem to have forgotten something," Xion added. "We're pirates. Who says we have to play fair?"_

 _"They're both right," Luffy agreed. "It's amazing that you can predict our every moves. But even if you can predict them, it doesn't mean anything if you can't avoid them, does it?" Satori was sweating uncontrollably when the straw hat boy asked that._

 _"I-Idiots! Stop it! I'm one of the priests that serves God! Let me go! Hey, are you listening?!" he demanded, freaking out even more as Sanji and Xion's ball floated closer to them. "Not being judged by a priest is a first degree crime in Skypeia! Now listen here! Attacking me means you declare war on Almighty God Eneru!"_

 _"Shut your mouth! Or the flavor will escape," Sanji told him. "For example, when you want to produce the supreme mignonnette from pepper, the important thing is to strongly, roughly, and without hesitation, beat it to pulp." Both he and Xion leapt into the air. "Then the wonderful flavor confined inside will be..." Sanji started to flip over rapidly, with Xion giving him a boost with her Aero._

 _"Ahhh! Ahhh! Stop it!" Satori begged. "Stop it! It's gonna hurt! Stop it!"_

 _In the end, though, Sanji's hard heel hit hard on the priest's head. " **Concasse!** " The attack was strong enough to break Satori's glasses and forced a couple of teeth out, as well as leaving his head a bloody mess._

* * *

Now that the battle was over, Xion and the boys were making their way to their boat... which somehow got untangled from the vine Gunma tied around the head. Thanks to Usopp's new invention, they managed to get to it before it sailed out of the woods... albeit they got on very painfully.

"Why...?" the sniper of the group asked, head hanging from the Crow and in the white-white sea water.

"You better remember this," Sanji warned, giving him a 'light' kick.

"One of us would've gotten the boat," Xion said, healing herself as she referred to herself and Luffy.

"Abywe, wib med id oud ob da Ost Fobbest..." Usopp said in pain.

* * *

Back on Merry Go, after the priest left Chopper, Chirithy, Gan Fall, and his bird to die either from their wounds, drowning or being eaten by the sky sharks, the Dream Eater of a pirate looked around his surroundings in the White-White Sea.

' _I... I can't swim..._ ' he thought. ' _What was I thinking? I couldn't do anything... This whole time... I can't do anything...! The Sky Knight... His bird... Chopper... I'm so... useless..._ ' He then saw something jump in the clouds after them. ' _Damn it! Am I just going to do nothing?! Even if I went to Guthrie, he won't make it in time!_ ' Slowly, he started to feel his consciousness fade away. ' _I'm sorry... guys..._ '

* * *

At the same time, at a distance away from Upper Yard, the Shandian warriors were all making their way to the small land. Each were either using skates or boards to get to their destination.

"Listen up, warriors!" the leader of the group, Wyper, called. "Upper Yard is in a state of turmoil! This is a chance we may never have again! Our goal is God's Shrine! Do not fear Eneru! Great Warrior Calgara will be our one and only foundation!"

"AYE!" they all shouted in agreement.

"Braham! Kamakiri! Genbou! Laki! Return safely! This is where we part ways!" he called to his close friends, all who nodded in understanding. "And where the hell is Allen?!"

No one dared to answer, for none knew where Wyper's cousin was. Even if they did know, they wouldn't have informed the outsider.

"Right here, cousin!" came a voice.

Some looked and saw a tanned boy in his late teens with white wings, black eyes and short black hair, wearing a grassy kilt around his waist, held by a rope with a pair of gold pieces. He also had black and red tattoos on his back, which goes all the way around to the front of his right shoulder. The boy also had black gloves on and was catching up to the group with his skate dials.

"Allen! Where the hell have you been?!" Wyper demanded.

"Where else? Upper Yard," the guy casually answered, turning around as he started to skate backwards.

At his answer, he was instantly berated by the other Shandians.

"Upper Yard! Are you crazy?!"

"What would you have done if you got caught?!"

"Are you trying to get us killed?!"

"This is why you're an outsider and always will be!"

The only very few who didn't say a word about Allen's reply were Wyper, Laki and Braham. The former was getting angry with the retorts and silenced them. "Shut up! All of you!" Instantly, they all kept their mouths shut. Turning to his cousin, Wyper then said, "Tell me you didn't just go there to fool around."

"Excuse you, dear cousin, but what you call fooling around, I call a healthy and fun hobby," the suppose 'outsider' said. "Also, who do you think you're talking to? I took notes and memorized where each priest are, their strengths and weaknesses, rest points, even the location of God's Shrine. Oh, and we also have some strangers there."

Wyper simple scoffed with a smirk on his face. "As expected from my cousin. You better have your weapons hidden somewhere over there, because no one is going to lend you their's!"

"I know, cuz."

Wyper then took out his bazooka gun, pointed it at Upper Yard, and fired. "Swear here and now on Great Warrior Calgara! We will light the fire of Shandia!"

"AYE!" they all shouted in agreement. An explosion then occurred from the island.

* * *

Meanwhile, with Guthrie's group, the four-man team were walking through the forest, heading towards something Nami found. As they walked, they heard an explosion coming from a distance.

"What was that?" Nami asked, slightly frightened from the sound.

"An explosion, obviously," Zoro answered.

"I heard one earlier too, but this one sounded a little different," Robin pointed out.

"You don't think the others are in trouble, do you?" Guthrie asked.

"In any case, let's just keep going," Nami told them.

Jumping to a higher tree branch, the three-sword swordsman asked, "What're you all worked up for, Nami?"

"You've been acting strange ever since you came down from that tree," Robin pointed out.

"No kidding. What did you see earlier?" Guthrie questioned.

"If I told you guys, you wouldn't under-" Before the navigator could finish her sentence, she slipped on some moss or grass from a tree she was crossing and almost fell, had she not caught herself. "Man, this is ridiculous! Why is it so hard to walk around here?!"

"Maybe it's because you're wearing sandals."

Hinting out the sarcasm in his voice, Nami retorted, "Yeah right!"

"Don't forget that you said this way was faster," Robin added.

"Quit wasting time and spit it out!" Zoro demanded. "What the hell did you see?"

"Never mind, just follow me! This way will lead us to the shore!" Nami tried to stand back up, but lost her balance and went back to her knees. "But anyway, come and help me!"

"Complaining at one time, ordering the next. Make up your mind already, woman!" Guthrie shouted. "Also, since you're the one leading us, take the lead instead of being in the back!"

Annoyed, Nami argued, "Shut up! And also, Guthrie! Can't you create the new Dream Eater we found like Xion can?! If you're so annoyed with having to help me when I ask for it, then why not use it?!"

"Because I don't have, nor do I know, the ingredients needed to create this new ally of our's! It's not like it came with a picture list!"

"Wait, did you say 'shore'?" Robin asked, breaking up the argument.

"Yeah, that's right. I need to get close enough to make sure," the navigator said. "Because I still can't believe my own eyes."

Zoro made another Tarzan cry as he grabbed hold of a vine and started swinging again. Guthrie saw this and couldn't help but sweatdrop. "Really, Zoro?"

"It's the same with me," Robin said, bringing his and Nami's attention to her as she used her Devil Fruit power to help the navigator up. "I have something bothering me as well... I have no definite proof... but if my moonstruck hypothesis would happen to be true, it would be interesting." With a little toss at the end, Nami got on the same branch Robin was on. "Very interesting. My reason to continue living may yet exist." Her mind went back to her time in Alabasta, when she wanted to die, only for Luffy to save her. "But still, it's nothing more than a hypothesis."

Both her companions just look at her in confusion and slight curiosity as to what that hypothesis may be.

* * *

Back at the Sacrificial Altar, Chopper slowly opened his eyes and saw nothing but the sky. After a few seconds to confirm his sights and be aware of his surroundings, the Devil Fruit user then sat up in slight shock. "I'm... alive?"

"Chopper, how are you?!" came Chirithy's voice. Chopper looked up and saw the Dream Eater waving at him from the ship, first-aid kit under his arm.

"Chirithy!" Just as he was about to get up, the man-reindeer felt pain spread where he was injured. He then noticed Gan Fall right by his side and panicked at the sight of his condition. "Aaahh! Sky Knight! D-Doctor! Where's a doctor?! Chirithy! Get a doctor!"

"I thought you're a doctor!" the talking Dream Eater shouted, eyes wide in shock that his friend completely forgot his occupation.

"Oh yeah, that is me." Quickly resolving that, Chopper placed his head on top of Gan Fall's chest. He heard his heart beating. Almost as soon as he heard it, Gan Fall groaned in pain. "Thank goodness. He's alive."

"Him and his bird," Chirithy added, walking over to the ship's doctor with the first-aid kit. "Think you can fix them up?"

"Yeah." The two then got to work with tending to their patients. "But, it's weird. We were all sinking, weren't we?"

"We were. Then something dove after us and that's all I can remember."

As they pondered as to who or what saved them, Chopper then flinched as he heard a voice. "Huh? 'God'?"

"What god?" Chirithy asked.

"Wait, you didn't hear that?"

"Hear what?"

All of a sudden, something flew down their way. Before they could see who it was, they ducked in fear of being attacked by the priest again. When they felt something pass them, the two looked up and saw many birds looking down at them. Chopper, being the only one to understand animals of the two, had his eyes wide in shock at what he was hearing.

"How...?"

* * *

"We're nearing the sea. I can hear the waves from here," Robin informed the boys. They were still following Nami to what she saw. Zoro and Guthrie both went silent and also started to hear the sound of waves.

Nami, for one reason or another, seemed excited upon hearing that sound. Excited enough to have a crazed look on her face. "Right! We're almost there!" Panting and catching her breath, she then added, "Come on, let's go!"

"Just tell us what you saw!" Zoro demanded once more.

The only response he got from the orange-haired girl was laughter.

"And she lost her mind. Great," Guthrie sarcastically said.

"I hear another sound mixed in with the waves," Robin informed once more.

"Yeah. A real nasty sound," Zoro agreed. "The sound of a whole army of people pushing and shoving. Kind of like what we heard in Alabasta."

"You mean like a war zone?" Guthrie asked. "Then should we be worried?"

"You don't have to worry about your Dream Eater and Chopper. That reindeer really comes through when he needs to."

"Then what about the captain and the others?" Robin asked.

"Luffy?"

"After we were abducted, he must've come after us."

"Out of worry or as an excuse to come here," Guthrie asked back. "Either way, whoever this God is here, if you're right, there's no way he would just let them get to the altar, would he?"

"That's right. And not to mention those guys over there starting their own fight," Robin added to the group causing the explosion. "The situation is getting more complicated."

"That's for sure," Zoro agreed.

"You guys have a knack of getting into trouble, don't you?" Guthrie asked, mostly to Zoro.

"More or less. Besides, we're all used to it. Making a fuss over something like that won't do us any good."

Guthrie turned to where Nami went off to, only to see her gone. "Speaking of fuss... Nami! Where the hell did you go?!"

"Some way of showing you care!" the girl shouted back with white eyes and shark teeth, revealing to be behind a huge tree root that she may have slipped off of.

"Oh. There you are."

Ignoring the boy now, the navigator looked back at the direction of their destination and rushed over there, to her friends' confusion.

* * *

Back to Xion's group, the Crow was smoothly sailing on towards the Sacrificial Altar. As they were sailing...

"Like I was saying Usopp, you do it like this!"

"Okay, yosh! 'Come on! Wake up, you dimwit!'"

"'Wha-? Morning already?'"

Yeah... To pass time, Luffy and Usopp decided to make some impressions of their fellow Straw Hat pirates. Luffy was playing the part of sleeping Zoro.

Usopp laughed at how spot on the impression was. "Just like Zoro!"

"Quit goofing off!" Sanji shouted, as he steered the Crow out of the ordeal.

"We don't know what happened to the others yet. And not only that, but there are still three Priests left. For all we know, they might be going through an ordeal themselves," Xion told them.

"'This is the Ordeal of Love'." only to add on to the goofiness, as Luffy made a Sanji impression when they took out Satori.

Xion sweat dropped as she saw what she had done while Sanji gave the two a quite beating.

"For now, we have to keep heading for the sacrificial altar," the chef added, smoking on a cigarette. "Agreed?"

"Bes. Be'r bewwy sawwy," the two painfully apologized.

' _Who is the captain again?_ ' Xion wondered.

* * *

Back to Guthrie's group, again, he, Zoro and Robin were still running to catch up to Nami, who stopped somewhere ahead of them.

"Wonder why she's in a rush," the archeologist said.

"Jeez. As soon as we see the sea, she gets all fired up," the swordsman stated.

"Complaining one moment, ordering the next. How do you deal with her?" the male Keyblade wielder asked once more.

With the navigator herself, she was standing before the thing she spotted earlier up the tree. "So my eyes really weren't playing tricks on me..." she muttered.

Robin caught up with her and couldn't believe her eyes. "Look at this!" she told the boys, who were still catching up.

Guthrie was the only one of the two to look up and also couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Oi, Nami! I've had enough!" Zoro exclaimed, her patience wearing thin. "Tell us what's going-" He cut himself off as he now knew Nami's reason.

"It speaks for itself, doesn't it?" she questioned. "Look at this. It looks familiar, right? It's not a fairy tail. We saw it just this morning."

The other three still couldn't believe their eyes.

"What's going on here? What's something from the ground doing way up here?" Zoro asked. "It's exactly the same."

"No. That's not it," Robin corrected.

"She's right. Don't you remember? Half of it was missing," Guthrie reminded.

"In fact, it's been bothering me for a while. There shouldn't be any earth in the White-White Sea. It was inexplicable how this island was formed without island cloud. Meaning, this island known as Upper Yard... used to be on the ground."

"I knew there was something wrong with that house," Nami added on to what Robin was saying. "It had two floors, but there was no stairs to get to that second floor. And there's no reason for the house to be built over that cliff. The coastline there was actually a tear in the island."

Guthrie pieced together what the girls said and widened his eyes in shock. "Then to sum it all up... this was a part of Jaya?! Or rather, it was Jaya?!"

"So, some time in the past, the island split apart and this half ended up in the sky," Zoro said. "But how?"

"It could only be that monstrous current. No matter how insane it may sound," Nami claimed.

"Then the City of Gold Noland found back on the Blue Sea... it was right here this whole time," Guthrie said.

All of a sudden, Nami let out a scream. "Thank you, God! Enduring all that suffering to get to Sky Island and then finding out it was the City of Gold! This must be a reward for being a good girl, right~?"

"That's what the scream's for?!" the male Keyblade wielder asked in both shock and annoyance.

"And I thought you were scared of this island's God," Zoro added, as he and Robin sweat dropped at the sudden change in character.

"Eh? God? What good is he? Is he worth more than gold?" Nami asked back.

"But didn't you just say, 'Thank you, God'?" Robin quoted.

"You make no sense," Guthrie said.

"You can say that again," the three sword-style swordsman agreed.

* * *

Meanwhile, back to Xion's group, they just exited the Ordeal of Balls and found themselves above a grass field..

"Whoa. What is this place?" Luffy asked.

"Maybe another Ordeal area?" Xion asked.

"Guess that means facing another priest," Sanji assumed.

"Just one Ordeal was more than enough for me, dammit!" Usopp complained. "What's coming next? String? Iron?! Swamp?!"

"Stop panicking already!" Xion whacked the frightened boy in the head. "Besides, if it were any of those then what was the point in choosing an ordeal earlier?!"

Hearing that question instantly calmed him. "Oh. That's true." Taking another look at the grass field, Usopp went back to panicking. "But look at what's down there! There are skulls on the poles!"

The Crow sailed lower and the group saw that there were skulls on top of the poles.

"Whoa. You're right!" Luffy spoke. "What's up with that?"

"Is another one of those monster priests going to show up?!" Usopp questioned.

"Sounds like fun! What Ordeal are we gonna face next?"

"If we lose to the priest, we'll be killed and end up on poles like them!"

"Did neither of you hear Xion-san's earlier question?!" Sanji asked, kicking the straw hat-wearing pirate on the head.

Xion just sighed at the three boys' actions. She looked at the side, wondering if she should train in her heart to pass time, only to see smoke from a distance. "Hey, what's that?"

The boys stopped their conversation and looked where she was looking.

"Looks like something's coming," Luffy said.

"Wait, which one?! Iron?! Strings?! Swamp?!" Usopp asked.

"Would save us the trouble," Sanji said.

"We don't even have time for this!" Xion shouted at them.

Just as they watched the smoke from the distance, a blue beam of flames shot out, destroying a few of the skulls on the sticks.

"GAAAAH! WE'RE DEAD! GAAAAAH!" Ussop hollared at the top of his voice.

The three boys and girl watched as five individuals shot over the umbrella of the Crow. All of them had the same skates as the White Beret they fought before, wore brown, tribal skirts, wings on their backs, and almost all carried at least one kind of weapon. The leading man, in particular, had tattoos on his left shoulder and upper arm, as well as his face, and he carried a familiar set of equipment; a shield on his back, and a large bazooka.

The man looked down particularly at Luffy and Xion, with a look that could kill. As he left them behind, he flipped upside down, aiming his bazooka straight at them, and fired a shot. Ussop panicked in fright, but Xion grabbed him by the back of his collar and yanked him away as Luffy came in, using his Gomu Gomu no Balloon to not only stop the shot, but repel it straight back. The sight of the expanding human shocked the warriors, though the leading man only cocked an eye.

They landed on the tree branches from afar as one of them in a skull mask asked, "What's wrong with that guy?"

"Paramecia. Only one who's eaten a Devil Fruit could do that," Wyper noticed.

Allen looked closely at the gang of blue sea dwellers and noticed the black coat girl with raven hair. The sight of her was surprising to him, but he recognized her, right off the bat. He blushed a bit at the sight of her face. "It can't be..." he muttered, inaudible to his comrades. "Xion?"

"Wyper, are we fighting?" asked the skull-masked Shandorian.

"Not now. Keep moving," Wyper replied.

At this point, Sanji and Xion started to recognize the leading man. "You're..." Sanji spoke.

' _That's the guy who attacked us in the White Sea!_ ' Xion noticed. ' _That style of combat, those weapons, and those tattoos... That's gotta be him!_ '

"We're ready! Come on down!" Luffy barked angrily. "We'll cream you! Make your move big guy!"

"Luffy, we don't have time to get into a fight!" Xion barked, whacking him on the head. "Our crew is more important! Let's not waste any more time!"

Luffy massaged his head as he looked back at the leading warrior, his glare still showing he was eager to fight.

"You sound and stink like blue sea people, which means YOU'RE the ones causing all the chaos in Skypiea!" Wyper shouted at the group of pirates, rising to his feet on the branch.

"Luffy, that's the guerilla we saw back on the White Sea. Look!" Sanji pointed out.

"Yeah. I recognized him as the same guy, too," Xion stated.

Ussop realized this and fell to the ground of the Crow. "Just blow us up and get it over with!" he whined.

"Oh, shut up!" Xion shouted with fang teeth. "We're not gonna blow up!"

Allen was now looking curious and confused at Xion's actions. ' _I don't remember her having so much emotion, even less having an anger issue,_ ' he recalled.

"If you don't want to die, then go back to your Blue Sea, immediately!" Wyper ordered. "Because, I promise you, if you do anything stupid on this island, we'll execute you with Eneru!"

"They're up here trying to kill this 'Eneru' guy?" Sanji realized.

"That's the 'god' that Satori guy kept saying," Xion recalled. "So, that means they're not with him, or the priests."

"Then that means they don't have to kill us, right?!" Ussop asked, still crying in fear. "For the sake of keeping our body parts together, can we please sail on?"

Luffy, on the other hand... "Not a chance! How about a fair figh-?!" Xion took a step forward, standing on the edge of the Crow with Luffy, covering his mouth. Knowing whose hand it belonged to was enough for Luffy to stop shouting. He did _not_ want to piss her off again while she had ahold of him.

"We're not here looking for a fight!" Xion shouted at the leading guerilla. "We're only here to find the sacrificial alter, where our friends are at! If you have a problem with our presence here on this island, then fine, be that way! But if you start attacking us again..." She summoned her Keyblade and pointed the tip of it at Wyper. "... we won't hesitate to fight back! Do you hear me?!"

This warning rang to all the present individuals. Luffy was silent as Xion lowered her hand from his mouth. What she said was true enough to him, and he knew Shanks would be like that, as well.

"Wow, Xion-swan! You're so cool when you say that!" the lovesick cook stated.

"Please, Xion! Don't aggravate them!" Ussop whined, clutching onto the edge of her coat. "The last thing we need is for them to have a reason to blow us up!"

Wyper and the Shandorians looked back at Xion, who didn't waver her eyes from the leading man.

"That girl's got a death wish, if she wants to fight Wyper," one of the warriors stated.

"What's with that weapon she's carrying?" one of the others questioned. "It looks like a key. And she just summoned it to her hand from out of nowhere!"

Wyper, on the other hand, was silent. ' _That weapon. It can't be..._ ' he thought.

"Wyper!" Allen called, as he stood up and grinned. "I'll take care of these Blue Sea dwellers. Don't you have some priests you wanna fight against?"

Wyper glared back at the young warrior. "We don't have the time to deal with them, Allen," he growled. "Our goal is to reach Eneru and take his head, along with any of his priests!"

"Hey, don't worry! I'll just go talk with them, understand them a bit more, then come back and fight with you guys again, okay?"

Wyper paused as he continued to glare at Allen. Then one of the other Shandorians said, "Let's go. We can leave this outsider here with those Blue Sea dwellers."

"Yeah. He'll just get in the way, anyway! He doesn't even have a weapon on him!" another one responded.

Allen's eyes frowned as he looked at the group who insulted him.

"Fine then. Come back to fight as soon as you're done!" Wyper ordered. With that, he and the other three warriors took off through the trees, leaving Allen behind.

The crew watched as the guerilla who stayed behind turned, using his dial skates to shoot himself towards the group. He performed a spinning aerial trick as he soared, whooping with joy, landing on the ground, and leaping right up at milky road, landing on the edge of the Crow.

Ussop was in terror as he hid behind the mast of the Crow, while Sanji, Xion and Luffy were all ready to fight him.

"Hey! I wanted to fight that other guy!" Luffy barked, throwing a tantrum. "Get back here so I can kick your ass!"

"Forget it. You're no match for Wyper," Allen warned Luffy with a smirk. "He's the strongest and the most ruthless Shandorian on Skypiea. You're lucky he spared your lives."

"Oh, so you guys are called 'Shandorians'?" Sanji asked. "Well, thanks for the warning pal, but don't go thinking we're easy to beat, okay?"

Allen, however, just waved off his words. "Don't worry. I wouldn't doubt you guys would stand a chance against him. After all, you got her on your crew, right? She's tough. Believe me, I know," he added, looking over to Xion.

The crew looked to the female Keyblade wielder, who raised an eyebrow in confusion. "You... know who I am?" she asked.

"What are you talking about? Of course I know you! You and I go way back. You're Xion, right? You wield a Keyblade and you come from that Organization group, right?"

"Woah, woah, woah! Hold on a moment!" Sanji stopped him. "You mean to tell me that you recognize my Xion-swan from before?!"

" _Your_ Xion-swan?" Allen asked, growing hostile as he glared at the cook. "For your information, she doesn't belong to you! She has no strings attached to her, so she's her own person!"

"I appreciate the statement, but I still have no clue as to who you are." Xion stated.

At her question, Allen looked back at her, shocked. "You're kidding, right? How can you forget? I'm Allen, the guy who helped you out not so long ago with all those missions you were on!"

"So he's a friend of Xion's?" Luffy asked, instantly lowering his guard.

"Does that mean he's not gonna kill us?" Ussop also asked, though still quivering.

"No. I'm just surprised to see her here with Blue Sea dwellers," Allen responded to the latter question. "But why are you with them? And why can't you remember me? Did I... not mean anything to you?" At the last question, Allen looked away from the group, crying crocodile tears.

Instantly feeling guilty, Xion said, "N-No no, it's not your fault. I just don't remember a lot of my past. I've been trying to piece them together for a while, joining these pirates as part of their crew, but I don't remember you or anything about this land. Sorry."

Allen was shocked at this and looked back, tears gone. "So you lost your memories?" he asked. The guy then instantly relaxed and smiled. "Then why didn't you say so? I was so worked up about how you've forgotten about me, Xion. If you said that in the first place, I would've understood."

Xion looked at him with surprise. ' _He certainly rebounded from that bit of news quickly,_ ' she thought to herself.

"Well, I hope you remember me again," Allen stated, turning about with his back to them. "We had a lot of fun, wandering through the forests during your missions."

"What the hell do you mean by that, bastard?!" Sanji barked, throwing a fit as Ussop tried holding him back. "If you did something to Xion-san before, then I'll kick your butt, right here!"

Allen ignored this as he smiled at Xion. As she looked at him with that smile, something inside her started to pound, her face started to heat up, and she felt weird. ' _What was it?_ ' she wondered. She had never felt anything like this before. ' _Was it related to this person?_ '

"You said you're looking for the sacrificial altar, right? Then you're on the right track," Allen told the group. "You should reach the place by sunset at this pace. I have to get back to the fight with my people." He shot off into the air as he performed more tricks with his dial skates. "Dance with the fire of Shandora!" he whooped, as he shot into the forest, disappearing from sight.

"That guy seemed cool," Luffy stated with a grin. "You have an awesome friend, Xion."

"I really don't remember him, Luffy. But if he was my friend, then I guess that's a good thing," Xion stated. "Plus, he told us how long it is gonna be until we get to our friends."

"So that means we're gonna have to survive until the sun sets?" Ussop asked, still scared. "How can we even survive that long? I really do hate this place."

"I really don't like that guy, but he did say we're on the right track," Sanji stated, going back to the steering wheel of the ship.

Xion sat down as Ussop tried to fake a disease to not go back into the forest, while Luffy wanted to eat. ' _Allen, huh?_ ' she thought. ' _So there was another person who knew me in my past life. Question is, who is he? And why did I feel so... whatever I felt? I can't even put my finger on it! Whatever, I'll think about it later. For now, I'll go train in my heart._ '

* * *

Few hours since Xion went into her dive, the girl was practicing her swordsmanship against some Bandit and Pirate Heartless, and a Zip Slasher. As she fought, occasionally, her mind went to Allen. Thinking about how funny he kind of was, how nice he seemed, his cheeriness, not to mention how sad he looked when his allies wanted to leave him with the Straw Hats, save for Wyper. And let's not forget his handsome-

' _Wait, what was I thinking?!_ ' she suddenly thought, catching on to what she was thinking. Unfortunately, that gave the Heartless a chance to land a heavy strike on her, knocking her back. Thankfully, she was able to somewhat block it in time to prevent a large slash on her chest. However, that didn't stop the rest of them from getting the jump on her.

Xion, seeing no time to avoid all of their attack, could only raise her Keyblade in an attempt to block. Before they could land a hit, the Heartless all disappeared.

' _ **First time back in a while and this is your skill?**_ ' questioned her master. ' ** _What's wrong with you?_** '

"Sorry I just... I have some things on my mind," she said.

' ** _Like that battle you fought earlier? With that round priest?_** '

"Um... Something like that..." Xion didn't want to tell him about Allen. Even if she asked, she didn't know if he knew about what she was feeling. After all, he is nothing but a spirit of some kind. How could she know if he knows anything?

' _ **Xion, how long have I known you?**_ ' he suddenly asked.

"What?"

' ** _I know you're lying to me. I'm here to guide you, no matter what._** '

Hearing that, Xion was now conflicted on whether or not she would tell him. In the end...

"Well, there is one other thing," she confessed. "Earlier I met someone from my past. Someone I knew before my amnesia. And... for some reason when I saw him, my face heated up, something in me was pounding, and I was feeling weird. What do you think it means?"

Silence met her question, which was starting to confirm her thoughts that he didn't know what she was talking about.

' _ **... Oh would you look at that? You've arrived at your destination,**_ ' the Voice suddenly said. Wait, hand on.

"What's with that tone? Does that mean-?" Before she could finish her question, Xion was already sent out of her heart.

' _ **... Things seem to be getting better.**_ '

* * *

Xion was back in the real world and found that the Crow really did arrive at the Sacrificial Altar. How did she know? The fact that Merry was on an altar and Zoro, Nami, Robin and Guthrie were standing on shore nearby.

"Hey, Nami-swan~! Robin-chwan~! Did you miss me~?" a certain lovesick cook asked. "I overcame the Ordeal of Love for you two~!"

"What? Was that the only Ordeal we had to endure?" Luffy asked.

"That's not the Ordeal we had to endure!" Xion shouted.

"Were you guys scared? Rest easy now that Captain Usopp is here!" Usopp boasted.

"Mellorine~! Mellorine~!"

' _Kind of wished we didn't find them,_ ' Xion thought to herself, for now she had to endure her sanity until they reached shore.

* * *

The group all got on the Merry Go, where Chopper and Chirithy explained to them what they had to endure while they were all gone.

"The mast's... gone..." Usopp spoke, looking at the spot where Merry's mast once was.

"We're sorry, Usopp," Chopper apologized, while Chirithy went into hiding in shame. "Chirithy and I fought with everything we had but... Everything was catching on fire and..."

"Are you two alright?" the sniper asked.

The doctor nodded at his question.

The guy then sighed. "That guy with the burning lance must've been pretty dangerous. But at least he didn't burn you two up too! We'll think about the ship later." He then walked away.

As he walked, Chopper was thinking about he was going to become more reliable to the group, while Chirithy, in his hiding place, was thinking about how he should somehow be more useful to the group. Unlike the latter though, the former was screaming out what he felt at the top of his lungs, all fired up.

"How did you guys beat the Priest?" Luffy asked.

"I blew the whistle," Chopper explained. "Then Sky Knight showed up and saved us."

"Where is he?" Xion asked.

The small Devil Fruit user both looked sad at the question. The two then led them to the lounge, where Gan Fall rested.

"Just for using that one whistle he gave us for free, he fought this hard for us," Luffy said.

"If the Sky Knight didn't come, we and the ship would've been gone," Chirithy explained.

"There's a lot I want to ask him, but I guess it'll have to wait," Sanji said. To Pierre, he then said, "And we owe you some thanks too."

' _ **It was nothing,**_ ' the bird said.

While everyone wasn't looking, Xion left the lounge. The only one who noticed was Guthrie, who walked out after her.

"Xion. Oi," he called. The girl seemingly ignored him and went over to the rails. The male Keyblade wielder seemed a bit uncomfortable with the silence.

"I could've done something," she said at last, to his confusion.

"Xion, what do you mean?"

"I could've done something! I could've stayed on the ship instead of going with Luffy and the others, I could've protected my brother and Merry-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Where is this coming from?"

Xion faced Guthrie. "I'm the vice captain. And not only that, but it's- It's also my bad habit!"

"And that has to do with this because?"

"Did Nami say nothing about my bad habit in her log?" A head shake was all the answer Xion needed. "Whenever someone is in trouble, I do whatever it takes to save them. To help them. This one time at Little Garden, Nami, Zoro and another friend of our's were stuck on a... wax cake, so to say. Luffy was there, but he was under a spell that prevented him from helping. I was hit by the same spell number of times, and yet I still helped them. I saved them from becoming statues. And there was another time in Arabasta. We had to face off a huge Heartless that could create sandstorms. A Heartless I remembered from my past, and one that isn't easy to beat. I practically did most of the work to defeat it. Me and my Dream Eaters. And before I joined this crew, I was living on an island for months, acting as a guardian, protecting everyone there from any dangers, mainly bad pirates."

Guthrie was catching on to what she was saying. "You've been protecting this crew from any danger that came their way since you joined them. And I'm guessing that seeing this damage, seeing how injured Chopper and Chirithy were, you couldn't help but blame yourself for not doing what you've always been doing."

"I may be a vice captain, but I feel more like a guardian. A protective mother if you will. Which is... kind of what I told them at one point, and I do hope that wasn't added in the log."

"Pretty sure I would've remembered that being in there if it was. But besides the point, Xion, as your friend and counselor, all I can say is: stop being hard on yourself. There's nothing you could've done. If you weren't here to stop it in the first place, nor did you know it was even happening, then why name yourself? If that were the case, then blame everyone here for what happened. Blame me."

"Well, to be frank, if Zoro didn't decide to leave the ship in the first place, we wouldn't have been attacked," Chirithy pointed out, getting their attention from his hiding place, which was in an empty barrel. "According to that Shura guy, if someone were to leave the altar, then that would be breaking the rules they set and would make this place free to attack."

Guthrie and Xion looked to each other, then at Zoro, who felt their gaze. He turned to them, and felt a sort of dread, as a dark aura surrounded Xion, drawn out by her fury.

"I guess in that factor, he is the one to blame for the ship being attacked," Guthrie chuckled nervously.

"Oh Zoro, I would like to have a word with you..." Xion hissed, walking towards him with her Keyblade out.

"This won't end well," Chirithy pointed out, the two viewers afraid of what Xion was gonna do to the moss-haired swordsman.

* * *

After beating the first mate senseless, it was decided that the crew would camp out in the woods for the night, to prevent damaging the ship even more. While they were at it, the group will also give in reports of what they've learned.

"Quiet down! We're getting ready to hear everyone's reports!" Usopp shouted.

First group up was Xion's group.

"We went to the Lost Forest, where we met a Priest called Satori who used these Surprise Balls," Sanji began. "It was bad enough with all those Surprise Balls floating around and who knows what was inside of them, but what got us most was this Mantra technique he used to predict our movements."

"We met up with the guerillas after that, only they were really called Shandorians. And not only that, but apparently I know one of them from my past, which also means I was here before," Xion added to their report.

Next group was Chopper's.

"The priest, Shura, came out of nowhere and burned everything!" Chopper explained enthusiastically. "He predicted movements too! Chirithy and I tried to stop him, but he kept avoiding us!"

"He also had a bird that breathed out fire!" Chirithy added.

Lastly was Guthrie's group.

"We discovered that Upper Yard is actually the other half of Jaya. It didn't sink in the ocean; it flew up to the sky!" Nami explained.

Usopp was taking notes on the report. "Alright! Thanks for your reports! Based on your reports, we've learned many things. However, the biggest discovery was this!" He pointed at the last note taken. "This island is the city of gold!"

Luffy, who was eating barbecue skyshark during the meeting, not paying attention to a single word that was said, was shocked at this. "Really?!"

"Nami/I literally just said it!" Guthrie, Xion and the navigator in question shouted at the captain.

"So what's this Mantra thing?" Zoro asked.

"Don't know," Sanji answered. "Maybe something like instinct?"

"Gold, eh?! I've been waiting for an adventure like this!" Luffy exclaimed. "I'm itching to get out there!"

"That's the spirit! Then everything's settled!" Nami agreed.

"She's aware of the possibility of us having to fight more Priests on the way, right?" Guthrie asked Xion.

"Don't question it," she simply answered.

"Hey, hey, Luffy. Did you forget what those Shandorians said?" Usopp reminded.

"God's gonna get mad," Chopper said in fear.

"And he's scary!" Chirithy added. "Guthrie! You better make sure to protect Xion! Even if it costs you your life!"

"Hell no!" the male Keyblade wielder shouted.

"Sounds interesting, doesn't it?" Robin said.

"Well, pirates can't pass up a chance to steal treasure," Sanji stated.

"And there's plenty of enemies out there. This is gonna be about survival," Zoro added. "Sounds like fun."

"You guys... We can be a little afraid of God! Don't blame me if you all get damned!" Usopp shouted, completely terrified.

Luffy then stood up and shouted, "YOSH! GOLD, HERE WE COME!"


	15. Eve of the Gold Festival

**Hello and Happy Thanksgiving, my fellow readers! We're back with another chapter of SCP: Soaring to the Sky. I do hope you enjoy this chapter, folks!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or Kingdom Hearts. I do not own Guthrie and, soon to join, Allen. Well, actually I kind of do own him.**

* * *

 ** _*OPENING*_**

 _ **Let's fly to the sky**  
(The sun rises as Merry sails across the ocean)_  
 _ **There's not a single cloud in the sky  
** (All the current Straw Hats watched the sun rises, Luffy on the figurehead)_

 _ **Let's fly to the sky. (It's time to fly around) Catch the perfect breeze for you  
** (The camera faces the sky as the title appears on the screen) **  
Paint the sky with (Let's go to the wonder world) imagination that no one's ever seen  
** (Camera faces back to the Going Merry as everyone went on with their peaceful business)_

 _ **OH! OH! Even if it's too dazzling (Come on)  
** (Xion looked up and saw Marines ahead of them and warned everyone) **  
OH! OH! under the sun**_  
 _(They all prepared themselves for battle. Marines fired cannon balls at them) **  
OH! OH! If it's you, you can make it! Throw away your pride and FLY!  
** (Luffy, Zoro and Sanji sent the cannons back at them. Usopp fired a cannon of their own with Xion, in her Wisdom Form, unleashed Triple Firaga at them, followed by a Thundaga, clearing their path)_

 _ **Everyday is plain!** **  
Real talent makes the world go round**_  
 _(Going Merry sailed through the smoke. Everyone looked content as they enjoyed the sea breeze) **  
Deceit won't work anymore.  
** (Scene changed to Jaya in Mock Town, as camera faced each of the Blackbeard Pirates.) **  
Mayday, the red light is stopping you too  
** (Scene changed to Cricket's home, showing Cricket with Masira and Shojo side by side.)_

 _ **Lend me an ear! And I'm gonna stick on my RAP! Wussup!  
** (Guthrie fights against some pirates and Heartless. One tried to sneak up on him and Chirithy knocked it away.)_  
 _ **"From tomorrow on I'll get serious!"- seriously cut it out with excuses like that  
** (Allen danced as he dodged the attacks of the pirates and attacked them at the same time)_  
 _ **Increase your money with your dream! Time is money like NASDAQ!  
** (The Straw Hats looked at Cricket's gold and searched for the South Bird) **  
When will you do it boy? It's now or never man! This is the moment, right?  
** (The crew then arrived at the Knock Up Stream and went to the skies.)_

 _ **Everybody put ya hands in the air and clap ya hands like this like that**_  
 _ **Clap ya hands everybody! Everybody just clap ya hands!  
** (Scenes quickly changed to different scenes. Xion and Guthrie crossed blades, Luffy's one-hit KO on Bellamy, the group trying to catch the South Bird, then finally their first encounter with the Shandia Warriors)_

 _ **Let's fly to the sky (It's time to fly around) Catch the perfect breeze for you  
** (The Straw Hat Pirates arrived on Skypiea and were approached by the White Berets and fought them) **  
Paint the sky with (Let's go to the wonder world) imagination that no one's ever seen  
** (Scene changed to the group in the Upper Yard fighting against Heartless, Shandians and Priests)_

 _ **OH! OH! Even if it's too dazzling (Come on)  
** (Scene changed to Xion fighting against a blonde Organization XIII member with knives and lightning magic) **  
OH! OH! under the sun  
** (Changed to Guthrie and Allen teaming up against the Nobodies)_ _ **  
OH! OH! If it's you, you can make it! Throw away your pride and FLY!  
** (Changed to Luffy battling Eneru. In a flash of light, opening ends with all of Straw Hats on Merry, facing the camera)_

* * *

 _Last time:_

 _"That's the spirit! Then everything's settled!" Nami agreed._

 _"She's aware of the possibility of us having to fight more Priests on the way, right?" Guthrie asked Xion._

 _"Don't question it," she simply answered._

 _"Hey, hey, Luffy. Did you forget what those Shandorians said?" Usopp reminded._

 _"God's gonna get mad," Chopper said in fear._

 _"And he's scary!" Chirithy added. "Guthrie! You better make sure to protect Xion! Even if it costs you your life!"_

 _"Hell no!" the male Keyblade wielder shouted._

 _"Sounds interesting, doesn't it?" Robin said._

 _"Well, pirates can't pass up a chance to steal treasure," Sanji stated._

 _"And there's plenty of enemies out there. This is gonna be about survival," Zoro added. "Sounds like fun."_

 _"You guys... We can be a little afraid of God! Don't blame me if you all get damned!" Usopp shouted, completely terrified._

 _Luffy then stood up and shouted, "YOSH! GOLD, HERE WE COME!"_

* * *

 _ ***WITH ALLEN***_

After the little reunion he had with Xion, as well as meeting some of her friends, the outsider Shandorian was on his way back to the rest of his group. On his way back, he was so happy to see the Keyblade wielder after so long, he couldn't help but dance.

' _I can't believe after so long, she finally came back~!_ ' he happily thought. ' _I wonder if we can hang out like the old days. And I even have some new dances to show her too._ ' The sound of an explosion broke him out of his thoughts. ' _Right. Have a battle to fight._ ' He quickly sped over to the fight with his skate dials.

By the time he arrived, he saw Laki being restrained by a priest, Ohm.

"Laki!" Genbo called in worry.

Allen charged in to save his friend, when a huge dog got in his way. He thought fast and jumped away from the beast. Allen looked and saw one of his hidden weapons and made his way to it. The dog was smart enough to try and get a bite on him, but Allen was faster and more agile, using his skates to give himself a boost of speed to his goal. He hastily grabbed his spear and jabbed it in the dog's leg, causing it to yelp in pain and whimper.

"Kamakiri's down!" Allen then heard. The outsider Shandorian was shocked to hear that, for Kamakiri was one of their best men.

"This changes things," he muttered. He noticed the dog retreating over to his master's side and followed after it.

"Damn it! And we were so close to victory!" came Wyper's voice.

"'Close to victory'?" Ohm scoffed. "It will soon be night, and our advantage will only increase." The priest then looked over to his limping dog, and his smirk was fading away. "Hey... Which one of you... injured Holy?"

At that question, everyone noticed the giant, white canine licking his wound, all just as shocked as him.

"It was me! Got a problem?" Allen called, holding up his spear as proof. And now his comrades, plus Ohm, looked over to his direction, the latter in rage.

"You did it? Then I suppose I should reward you," he spoke. "I'll make your death quick!" He charged down at the outsider with his sword and brought it down.

On instinct, Allen raised his spear to defend himself... only for it to snap as soon as it made contact with Ohm's. The latter jabbed his blade forward, somehow extending it and made contact with the Shandorian.

"Allen!" Wyper shouted in worry.

Thankfully, the outsider brought his hand up to block the shifting blade, much to his opponent's shock. "Don't worry about me! Retreat to the rendezvous island!" he shouted.

Reluctantly, Wyper gave that order to the remaining members who can fight, as well as telling them to get the injured.

"Your friends won't escape!" the priest fighting Allen said, putting distance between them.

"That's not for you to decide!" he intervened, thrusting out his left hand, flames coming out from his palm. Ohm leapt back to avoid the burnt and glared down at Allen.

"You're dead!"

"Wait, Ohm," called another priest, stopping the guy from his next attack.

"Why should I?" he demanded.

"God Enel has summoned us."

At that reason, Ohm glared at Allen. "Next time we meet, you will not be as lucky." He and Holy left with the other priest.

Allen stood in his place, wondering what had happened. Especially when Ohm used his weapon on him. Looking down at the hand he used to block, he saw there was something in the back of the glove. He opened the back a little more and saw that there were a couple of seashells in it... lined up in a way to make them unnoticeable in the glove.

"No wonder why the back of my hand feels uncomfortable with these things on," he muttered, thinking back to when he got them. Or rather, when he was _given_ them.

* * *

 _ ***FLASHBACK***_

It was when Xion was still able to hang out with him. Allen was doing a dance, in which the girl was enjoying. Once he was done, Xion gave him a standing ovation.

"Oh come on, I'm not that good," Allen said.

"Are you kidding? That was the best I've ever seen you do!" she told him. "In fact I... I have something for you." Xion took out something from her pocket.

"Those looks like those gloves on your hands," he noticed.

"I made them myself. They might not... feel comfortable." Allen put the gloves on.

"The back of the hand feel a bit... Bumpy, I guess. But I still like it. Thanks for this gift, Xion."

* * *

 _ ***END OF FLASHBACK***_

After that, he didn't see Xion again.

"In the end, you're still here for me when I needed you," Allen said, smiling. After that, he went after the rest of his allies to the rendezvous island.

* * *

 _ ***WITH THE STRAW HAT PIRATES***_

The group split up to do different tasks. Sanji was doing the cooking, Chopper and Zoro were collecting ingredients, Nami was thinking of a plan, Xion was training in her dive, Usopp was getting his tools to fix Merry, Robin, Guthrie and Chirithy were... somewhere, and Luffy was watching the stew boil... out of boredom.

With Guthrie, Chirithy and Robin, the three of them were walking along the shoreline of the cloud river, reaching what looked like a large, clear crystal.

"What is that thing? A crystal?" Chirithy asked.

"It's a salt crystal," Robin answered.

"I've never seen one this big before," Guthrie stated, crouching down to examine it. "It's almost the same size as Chirithy." He grabbed ahold of it, whacking the base of it with his knuckle to loosen it, and pulled it up. "This'll make the cook pleased."

"Let's head back to the camp," Robin told him. Guthrie nodded and the trio went back the way they came, with the archeologist of the group leading them.

After a few steps, Robin looked back at Guthrie and asked, "Why did you want to come with me? Aren't you suppose to be protecting Xion, right now?"

"It's not like she's helpless on her own," he responded. "She's darn tough, tougher than me, I bet. Though it was with the help of Luffy, Sanji and probably Usopp, she did beat a priest."

"Which is why you should continue practicing with the Keyblade and its' powers," Chirithy told him. "Unless you fully embrace the power of using it, you can't reach your full potential."

Guthrie sighed at the point his guide was making. "Yeah, I know. Even so, I feel like I was just handed the power and told to do this mission, and I have no say in the matter. It makes this whole thing feel like a nuisance."

"The Keyblade is a powerful weapon, from what I've seen. You're lucky to possess the power to wield it."

"Doesn't feel like it."

"But back to what I was saying before. You could've gone with any of the others. Why me?" the woman asked.

"I don't really know myself," Guthrie answered. "But I feel a bit... I don't know... calmer, when I'm with you. You certainly aren't as flamboyant as the rest of the crew, which is okay with me."

Robin smiled as she pointed out, "You weren't so calm when you were talking down our navigator before."

"Because she wouldn't stop complaining," he answered, getting an irritated look as he recalled their little trip earlier. "She needs to learn that not everything in life is straight and easy."

Robin hopped over a large root, turning back to see Guthrie take a running leap onto it, while Chirithy hopped and grappled himself up onto the other side.

"I'm curious, though. Despite the fact that you became our counselor, you act as though you want to make sure everyone else is happy before you," she noticed.

Guthrie held the salt crystal tighter. "Am I that easy to read?"

"You hardly ever smile or laugh. This adventure is exciting, here and there, but you aren't as excited as everyone else."

The male Keyblade wielder hopped down off the tree root, looking back up at the archaeologist. "It's not that this whole adventure thing is interesting, but it's hardly what I'm looking for."

Robin hopped down next to him. "Then what is it you're looking for?"

Guthrie paused for a moment before he answered her. "True happiness."

The female devil fruit user got confused at the answer. "True happiness?"

"Yeah. Something that'll bring joy to anyone I try to help. It's been my dream to find something like that. Seeing someone smile and feel joy coming from them is the best feeling of all. That's why I want to help so many good people out there and help them seek that happiness they're looking for. It might even help me regain the happiness I lost a few years ago."

This last sentence intrigued Robin. "What do you mean, 'regain the happiness you lost'?"

"Well, you see-" Chirithy started, before Guthrie whacked him in the head with his Keyblade.

"Stop. Don't tell her," Guthrie casually told him. "I know you know my backstory, but I want to be the one to tell anyone THAT part of my past." To Robin, he answered, "I'll tell you about it, some other time. Just as long as you tell me your past at some point. I get the feeling your's is more than just that brief story you told me."

Robin looked away, her smile fading from her. Her past. It was a darkness she would rather not speak about to anyone. If they knew about it, they might not want to be around her, like everyone else. She would rather keep it down deep inside her than tell any one of her new shipmates about it.

Guthrie felt he hit a heavy part of her heart and said, "Hey, I'm not asking you to tell me immediately. Whenever you feel like talking, or when the pain is too much to bear on your own, talk to me. I promise to do my best to help you with your issues, okay?"

Robin looked back at Guthrie's face, seeing the seriousness in his eyes. She nodded in understanding, though she felt like she was never gonna tell him about it.

"If you guys are done yammering, why don't we start heading back to camp, like we said we would," Chirithy told the two.

"Right. Sorry," Guthrie replied, as he continued his pace, with Robin behind him.

' _Someone to talk to, huh?_ ' she wondered. ' _Guthrie is not from this world, so even if I told him, I'm not sure he would understand. However, he could see how dangerous it is to be around me. But with Guthrie's mysterious past, and the Keyblade he wields, I wonder just how much of a danger it is to be around him._ '

* * *

With the rest of the Straw Hats, they were busy doing what they were tasked to do.

"UGH! This is so boring!" Luffy complained, tired of watching the stew boil.

"Who told you to watch it?" Sanji asked. "Once the purified water collects in the dish in there, pour it in the canteens. That's all I asked. We have to make sure everyone has enough water for tomorrow."

"Sanji! We brought back a lot of stuff!" Chopper called, as he and Zoro returned with some of nature's ingredients. "We got walnuts, aloe, bananas, garlic..."

"And rats and frogs," Zoro added.

"Okay. Toss it all in the stew," Sanji said, without a care in the world.

"Wait a second! Some of those were really gross!" Nami shouted.

As usual, the lovesick boy's persona changed. "Oh, silly me! How careless... You don't like garlic?"

"THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEAN!" Nami both shouted.

"Miss Navigator," Robin called, as she, Guthrie and Chirithy made their return.

"Wow, Guthrie! What is that? A jewel?" Nami asked, impressed with the find in the male Keyblade wielder's arms.

"Beautiful, isn't it? But it's not what you think."

"Hey. Isn't that a salt crystal?" Sanji asked, familiar with the object. "Nice find, guys."

"We found it by the lakeside. Thought it might come in handy."

Disregarding that Robin didn't find it alone, Sanji in his lovesick persona said, "Of course, Robin-chan~! It's a key to life in the survival experience~! You're so smart~!"

"Someone gag me now," Guthrie muttered.

"I can make some burn medicine and disinfectant," Chopper said, looking into the ingredients he and Zoro picked up. "That should help the Sky Knight get better."

"I'll help out!" Chirithy said, rushing over to them.

"Need any frogs?" Zoro asked.

"Nope. No frogs," the doctor answered.

"Oi, Zoro. You're not doing anything. Give me a hand," Sanji called.

The next thing the three-sword-style swordsman knew, he was holding up a heated rock with two of his swords.

"Oi! My katanas aren't suppose to be used like this!" he told the chef.

"Quit whining! Disobey the cook and you go without dinner!" Sanji retorted.

Zoro dropped the rock in the stew, having it boil at a faster rate than before.

"What?! We're gonna eat a rock?! Is that good ?!" Luffy asked.

"You don't eat the rock. This is Hot Rock Stew," Sanji explained. "The heat from the rock helps boil the stew. Stew's a great dish. It keeps all the nutrients of the ingredients, so they don't go to waste."

"You really want to make use with everything the food has, don't you?" Guthrie asked.

"Can't call myself a chef if I don't." Luffy was about to open the pot, when Sanji kicked him on the head. "Don't open it!"

"But Sanji, I'm hungry!" the captain complained.

"Didn't you just eat a whole skyshark?!" the male keyblade wielder demanded.

"It was an appetizer!"

"How does Xion deal with you?" Chirithy asked.

Guthrie calmed somewhat at that question. "Speaking of, where is she?" Nami, Sanji and Luffy pointed at one direction. Guthrie looked and saw the girl seemingly meditating. "What's she doing? Meditating? And... where did all of those wounds come from? I remember her having less injuries than that."

"She's doing this thing call a 'Dive to the Heart'," Nami explained.

Hearing that got Guthrie and Chirithy confused. "Her Dive to the Heart?" the latter asked.

"I heard that from Zoro earlier before we got to this island. He was serious about that part?" the former asked.

"Yeah. Xion goes into her meditating position with her Keyblade on her lap and goes into this... inner world, as she called it," the navigator said. "There, she can do some training that she couldn't do while we're sailing. Though to us, it's more like her soul left her body."

"Such as?"

"Let's see... If I recall it was different training session that includes defeating the Heartless that the Voice guy prepared for her."

Hearing this new person, or who they assumed was a person, confused the newest members even more. "'Voice'?"

"Xion doesn't know his name either. And he never told her his name. Oh, and apparently any damage she sustained while in her Heart can also affect her original body, so we have to watch out for it, especially Chopper. But since you two are here, assuming you know some healing spells like Xion does, he can keep his focus on that Sky Knight while you two can take care of her instead. Voice is usually taking control of Xion while she's training, but he's not that talkative. Last he spoke to us through her was when we were sailing to our second island in the Grand Line, and it was to explain to us how the process works."

' _I never heard or knew of this process,_ ' Chirithy thought, referring to how Xion can go to her Heart whenever she could.

Guthrie, on the other hand, was wondering why Xion wouldn't go to him for training instead, as he watched her slowly gain more wounds, seemingly from swords, in which Chopper noticed and quickly tended. Guthrie then recalled the last time they sparred. ' _I must've really hit her hard. Both physically and mentally,_ ' he thought.

"So this 'Voice' guy... Is he like her Master? Caretaker? What is he to her?" he then asked.

"According to Xion-nee, he's been with her for as long as she could remember, and that's months," Chopper answered.

"And rather than asking about me, why not ask me yourself?" said a voice, familiar to most.

Chirithy and Guthrie turned and saw Xion looking at them, with yellow eyes instead of her blue ones.

"Whoa! Xion?!" the latter asked.

"Wrong. I'm an the Voice that resides in her," she, or he, corrected. "So, you wish to know some things about me. Ask away."

Chirithy, for some reason, felt a bit frightened by the spirit's presence. ' _What is this? Who is this? Why do I feel...?_ '

"So you come up with trainings for Xion? How?" Guthrie asked.

"It's as the navigator said. I have the Heartless do the work," Voice answered.

"How? Last I remember, Heartless-" The counselor was cut off by a sudden, deep slash appearing on Xion's right shoulder. Chopper was instantly freaked out and quickly stitched it up, while the recent recruits were shocked at what they just saw. "What just happened?!"

"Xion's training, of course. The navigator told you, didn't she? About how Xion's body would also sustain damage when she does during her dive."

As much as he wanted to question it, Guthrie knew he would get the answer from the vice captain when she returns and saved it. Instead, he asked, "Okay... And how does this training go? From what Chirithy told me, it shouldn't be possible for a Keyblade wielder to go back to her dive."

"Want to train against Heartless, I see," Voice said, as blood started to seep out of the corner of Xion's mouth. "Some very, very powerful ones. To know more about the Keyblade, I presume? The part Xion already knows?" Though a bit hesitant to respond, the male Keyblade wielder nodded. "Well, I suppose I can teach another, somehow."

At that, Chirithy snapped out of his fear. "No way! You already have a student! And Guthrie already has a teacher!"

"Chirithy?" The Keyblade wielder in question was surprised at how his guide was acting. He never saw Chirithy get so defensive over anything, other than how he should take his role as Xion's guardian seriously.

Voice, on the other hand, just shrugged at the outburst. "It was only a small joke. I can't teach him even if I want to. I'm stuck in Xion's body."

"Okay... Then at least tell me you're doing training that doesn't include magic or skills. She really needs to practice more on her own skill."

"But if she does that, she'll get rusty with her magic. There's especially one type that always backfires on her. The more she practices her magic, the better she can get at it, and the lower chance of having a fireball explode on her face. And there's also that new form she obtained back in Alabasta to work on."

That part intrigued all of the Straw Hats in the area. "What new form?" the counselor asked.

"Oh. She hadn't told you? I guess I didn't miss out on anything after all." Hearing that disturbed the more sensible of the crew.

"You what?! What do you mean by that?!" Nami asked.

"You bastard! Spirit or not, you do not peek in on a woman when she bathes!" Sanji shouted.

"Like you're one to talk!"

"I'm not a pervert like you. I know when to not peek in on a lady during her private time. As for that new form, well, it's her choice when she'll tell or show you the form. As for her swordsmanship, I suppose I'll leave that up to you, new member," Voice told Guthrie.

"Me?" said pirate asked, pointing at himself.

"You were the one who said her natural skills should be improved on. You train her. Oh, and would you look at the time? She's almost done with her training."

"Hey wait! I still have some questions!" It was already too late, for Voice returned to Xion's heart.

* * *

 ** _*XION'S DIVE*_**

The female Keyblade wielder finally managed to defeat all the sword-wielding Heartless she asked her master to set back up from her previous visit. It wasn't easy for her to fight without using her magic or techniques, but Guthrie's words about how she should improve on her natural skill did bother her. It especially bothered her the most when she faced off against the Zip Slasher. Though it wasn't a sword-wielder, it was still good with its own blades... enough to put her on the defensive, just like her spar with Guthrie. She was tempted to use her magic, but it would ruin the meaning of her training. Thankfully, she somehow managed to defeat the boss... before it landed a killing strike on her.

"I... somehow... won..." she panted.

' _ **That was quite reckless, don't you think?**_ ' Voice asked. ' ** _I never said you're not allowed to use magic, or that there will be penalty for doing so._** '

"Even so... I had to do it... with my own skill..." Xion started to heal herself with her Cure Magic.

' ** _So you say, but any further and you could've died for nothing._** ' The student stayed silent at the master's words. ' ** _In any case, from now on, you're not to do that sort of training in here._** ' Xion was shocked at the order and was about to retort, when Voice added, ' _ **I had talked to Guthrie about it. While you're here, you're to do training with your magic and your techniques. Don't forget you still have that new form to work on. The one you obtained back in Arabasta. If you want to improve your natural skills, go to Guthrie, assuming he will actually train you.**_ ' At that, the female Keyblade wielder kept silent. Deep down, she didn't want to spar with Guthrie, for she feared it may bring back memories she didn't want to remember, like back in Angel Beach. But at the same time, she really wanted to improve on her swordsmanship. Plus, like Voice said, she really would like to start practicing the new form she obtained.

"Okay. I'll talk to him tomorrow," she said.

' ** _You best do that._** ' With that, Xion went back to the reality world.

* * *

 _ ***REALITY***_

"I'm gonna explain how we should plan to move tomorrow!" was the first thing Xion heard when she got back from her training. Opening her eyes, besides the bandages, she noticed that everyone was getting prepared to eat and hear Nami's plan.

"About time you're up," she then heard. Looking up, she saw Guthrie looking down at her.

"Oh, uh... Hey...?" Xion wanted to hit herself for the tone she used. "How long was I-?"

"What were you thinking?" he interrupted.

"Uh, what?"

"You could've actually died. What if that 'master' of your's sends a Heartless that's too strong for you to handle?"

"Weren't you the one who said I had to improve on my natural skills?"

"Not like that." The guy then sighed, as Chopper and Usopp handed the two Keyblade wielders their portion of the stew. "Look, I'll train with you instead. After what I saw, whoever or whatever your master is can't be trusted."

"You're just saying that because of one training," Xion retorted.

"'One training'?! I heard this isn't the first time it happened!"

"So it happened a number of times. It's not like I'm killing myself. I asked for that sort of training and Chopper-kun can help look after my body while I'm gone. Both he and Voice wouldn't let anything happen to me!"

"That doesn't make this okay."

"Hey, guys," Usopp called, getting their attention. "Nami was going to tell us about her plan, so if you two don't mind..."

The two glared each other and ended their conversation there... for now.

"First, let's review Noland's picture book," Nami spoke. "It was over 400 years ago when Noland first discovered the City of Gold. But when he returned to Jaya years later, the gold ruins were gone!"

Her review was cut off by a certain captain. "This stew is great! Just like-!" Luffy was cut off by Sanji slamming his face with the stove's cover.

"Are you guys listening?!"

"I'm sorry, Nami-san! But he was-!"

Sanji was cut off by Luffy shouting, "These sky island bentos are great, too!"

The next thing the rubber man knew, Xion knocked him out with a hard Graviga spell, leaving him face-down. "Back to the review," she casually said.

"Thank you, Xion," Nami thanked, as though their captain wasn't inches deep stuck in the ground.

' _Is it even okay for her to use her magic in that condition?_ ' Guthrie and Chirithy couldn't help but wonder.

"Basically, during those few years, this island, which is part of Jaya, came up into the sky," Nami continued.

"You mean it rode up the Knock-Up Stream?!" Chopper asked.

"That's the only possibility I can think of."

"Cricket did say the sea floor explodes at different places each time," the male Keyblade wielder added. "It would make sense that it happened to this part of Jaya."

"But it's hard to believe that forest on Jaya is the same as this one," Zoro said.

"That's probably due to the composition of sea and island clouds," Robin guessed. "It appears the environment around this sky island allows animals and plants to develop quickly. That also explains the civilization that was swallowed up by this forest."

"And the South Birds that saved us at the lake were huge!" Chirithy added on. "Like _this_ big!"

"That much bigger than the original South Birds? 400 years really did a lot to them," Xion stated.

"But it's strange," Sanji spoke, tossing Zoro his portion of the stew, in which the guy managed to catch. "Why did those birds save you?"

"Well, we're not so sure. But they all called the Sky Knight 'God'," Chopper informed.

Everyone was shocked to hear that.

"God?! Does that mean we should beat up this old man?!" Luffy said, recovered from the spell and eating away his bento... that was suppose to be saved for tomorrow. Pierre panicked when he heard that question.

"Of course not, you stupid loudmouth!" Usopp shouted.

"How the hell did you even recover that fast?!" Guthrie followed.

"Also, that lunch was suppose to be for tomorrow, idiot!" Xion added, not doing her injuries any good with the sudden excitement.

"Alright, that's enough! Sit down, loudmouth!" Nami ordered. "Anyway, remember what Noland's log said about the city of gold?"

"Yes! He saw gold!" a certain rubber fool shouted.

"Obviously, you loud loudmouth! Quit saying whatever comes to mind!" Usopp yelled.

"I recall there saying something about a giant golden bell, and that there were South Birds," Sanji said.

"Wasn't there something about an eye in the log, too?" Xion asked.

"'The skull's right eye is where I saw the gold,'" Guthrie quoted. "Those were his last words."

"That's right," Nami confirmed. "Look at this! I matched the size of Robin's Jaya map with the old Skypiea map. It's just an approximation, but when you put the location of the beach house together..." Everyone gathered around and watched as Nami folded part of Jaya's map and connected it with Skypiea. As she put the two maps together, they couldn't believe what they saw. "Look! This is how Jaya looked like 400 years ago!"

"Whoa! It's a skull!" Luffy gasped.

"It looks like it!" Chopper agreed.

The crew were all impressed with this new discovery.

"Then, the 'skull's right eye' is here," Xion stated, pointing at their destined location.

"Noland was referring to the shape of the entire island," Nami explained. "But since half of it was missing, no one could solve the mystery!"

"So all we need to do is get to that spot," Guthrie summed up.

"But we can't leave the ship alone. We'll have to split into two groups tomorrow. There's no doubt about it. There's an enormous amount of gold waiting for us there!"

* * *

 _ ***MEANWHILE WITH THE SHANDORIANS***_

Allen just arrived at the rendezvous island. He watched as the uninjured were tending the wounded, those already bandaged either helping out or checking their weapons for tomorrow. As concerned as he was about then, he knew none will say a word back to him. Well, other than, "Get lost, outsider," or "None of your business, outsider." To his surprise, one of his allies walked up to him... with an angry look on his face.

"This is all your fault!" he claimed, to Allen's confusion. "You told those priests about our plan, didn't you?!"

Hearing that accusation surprised him. "Huh?! What are you talking about?!"

"Don't play stupid with us!" another Shandorian accused. "They offered you something, didn't they? A position in their ranks? Mercy from Eneru?!"

"Okay. I get you guys dislike me, maybe even hate me, but that's no reason to accuse me of something that's not true! Besides, I thought you guys were prepared to fight them!"

"Exactly what a spy would say! And even if what you said is true, how about explaining to us why Kamakiri is out of commission!"

"We should just get rid of you now while we're still alive and safe!" another Shandorian exclaimed, picking up a bazooka.

"Assuming if we are safe anyway!" another agreed.

Those nearby all got up and pointed their weapons at Allen.

"Stop! It's not his fault!" Laki shouted. "It's my own fault! If anyone is to be blamed for what happened to Kamakiri, it should be me!"

Knowing that it wouldn't change things, Allen just made things easier. "Okay, you know what? Fine. If you guys don't want me around, I'll just be on my way." Without another word, the outsider used his skates and took his leave.

Everyone who despised him were glad to see him gone. Wyper, who was the only one of the few who didn't blame or disliked Allen, approached Laki. "Hey. What do you mean it was your own fault?" he asked. The female warrior flinched at his tone and explained what happened that caused Kamakiri to be injured.

So to say, Wyper wasn't at all amused at the revelation. Not only was his cousin accused for what happened in the battle, when none of it was his fault in the first place, but one of Wyper's close friends and comrades got distracted over some dirt. But, as much as he wanted to lecture and scold Laki, if Allen was with them, he knew what his cousin would say to defend her, especially since she's one of the very few people who never gave him the stink eye.

And so, instead of shouting about how foolish she was, Wyper said, "By the time we defeat Eneru, there would be no need to collect a bag of Vearth."

Everyone was shocked to hear those words coming out of his mouth in a calm tone.

"Wyper?" a Shandorian questioned.

To the rest of the group, Wyper then said, "We will continue the fight tomorrow. Today, with Satori already gone, we already put up a good fight. Especially since one of us, who isn't here at this moment, heavily injured Ohm's pet."

"It was just a pet. Any of us could've taken it," he heard one of his men say.

"Then how come Allen did what you couldn't do?" Wyper questioned with a glare, silencing him. "Now listen up! We're going back to the 400-year-old land of Shandorians! All of us!"

* * *

 _ ***BACK TO THE STRAW HATS***_

The group finalized the plan and was about to rest up for tomorrow. Well, at least that was the plan for the more sensible members of the group.

"It's getting pretty late. We should put out the unnecessary fires," Robin suggested. "They'll give away our position to the enemy."

Luffy and Usopp, who were near the campfire, chuckled as if she told a joke. "Did you hear that, Usopp? She wants to put out the fire!" Luffy said.

"Well, you can't blame her. She's been living in the dark for so long, she doesn't know," the sniper said.

"What do you mean?" Robin asked, confused as to what they were saying.

The next thing she knew, they were on their hands and knees, laughing. "You're always suppose to have a campfire!"

"The desire to having a campfire when camping at night, even if you're on your last legs, is what makes you human!"

"You're the stupid ones!" Nami said angrily. "Will you cut the crap already?! You know how dangerous the forest is!"

"Do not!" Luffy stubbornly denied.

"There are priests and guerillas! And even without them, forests are dangerous at night! There could be wild animals for monsters, for all we know!"

"There are monsters?!" Chopper gasped in fright.

Usopp was reminded of how frightening the island can be, for he kept muttering "Sky Island is scary."

"Hey, Luffy!" Zoro called. Everyone looked and saw a pile of logs stacked up for a bonfire.

"You're serious about it, too?!" Nami shouted in disbelief.

"God, why are men so stupid?" Xion questioned. Noticing Guthrie standing right next to her, she instantly added, "At least you're not like them."

"I'll take that as a compliment," he said.

"It's okay, Nami-san! Wild animals are actually afraid of fires," Sanji assured.

The moment he held up a stick with a flame on one end, there was a large amount of shadows behind him with glinting eyes. "Aaahhhhhh! There's something behind you!" Chirithy screamed.

A wolf with a scar on its right eye walked up to them, growling and barking at them.

"Oi! It's saying something! C'mere, Chopper!" Sanji told their doctor.

' _Did he forget that I can translate that too?_ ' Xion wondered.

"'You outsiders are being too damn loud! Get to bed, you dumbasses!'" Chopper translated.

"Say what?!" Sanji and Luffy demanded angrily.

At their tone to her little-brother-figure, Xion whacked them both on the head, knocking them out. "He's only translating, you idiots," she said.

The wolf continued to bark at them.

"'Don't tell me you bastards are thinking about trashing our turf!'" Chopper translated.

"We were brought here against our will, though!" Chirithy exclaimed.

"'This is our land! Who said you jerks could cook here?! This forest is ours! The trees, the grass, everything!'" Before anyone knew it, Nami suddenly went and punched the wolf hard on the head, knocking him out.

"I won't let you have our treasure!" she claimed.

"That's not what he said at all!" the Keyblade wielders shouted.

The wolves growled when they saw their alpha knocked out.

"Hey now! Things seem even worse now! What do we do?!" Usopp asked.

"Do something!" Nami told him.

"But you struck first!" Chirithy pointed out.

The alpha wolf instantly recovered and gave a bark. Instantly, the wolves back down.

"'Forget it, guys. You ain't no match for them even as a pack,'" Chopper translated. "'Girlie. You got a mean punch. I like ya!'" The wolf then said with a grin, in which Nami returned.

"Did we just work things out?" Usopp asked.

"Seems like it," Zoro answered.

"Then let's all have a campfire together!" Luffy suggested.

And so, the bonfire started. Everyone was having the time of their life, dancing around. Even the wolves were dancing. Not only that, there were also some wine being passed along, made by the wolves. The only person who wasn't joining the party was Xion, who decided to train somewhere away from the bonfire, as well as keep on a lookout for any enemy attacks.

' _It'll be too risky to dive into my heart. I'll train in the real world for now,_ ' she decided.

"Hey," a familiar voice called before she could even swing her Keyblade. Xion turned and saw Guthrie approaching her. "You're not going to party?"

"Someone has to look out for them. Besides, like Robin and Nami said earlier, there could be other dangers approaching us."

"So you say, but you're also doing it because of what I said, isn't it?"

"Yeah well, you've made your point. I need to improve on my natural skills. That is... unless if you're willing to train me like Voice said."

"As a matter of fact... That's exactly what I'll do," Guthrie said. "On one condition: Do not _ever_ go back to that Dive to Heart thing."

Hearing that confused her. "Why?"

"I have a bad feeling about your 'master'. I mean, who would send their student on a life-or-death training?"

"It's not like he's trying to kill me. Besides, even he knows when to stop the training."

"And when does he stop it? When you die? Because you were looking like you were getting to death's door if it wasn't for Chopper."

"That's only because I wasn't using magic."

"Heard it still happened even when you do magic."

"Are you here to give me a lecture or to help me train?"

Before Guthrie could say anything in response, Heartless suddenly started to appear around them.

"Well, looks like you had the right idea of not partying," the male Keyblade wielder said.

"You don't say," the female agreed. "Thankfully, they're only Yellow Opera and Emerald Blues."

"And that's good because?"

"They're easy to beat and I need to see my results." Without another word, Xion went and attacked the Thunder-magic and Aero-magic based Heartless.

Guthrie, not wanting her to fight off the Heartless alone, joined her in the battle.

As they fought, Guthrie couldn't help but notice how well Xion improved since the last he saw her. Her attacks were quick and well-timed. Any magic the Yellow Opera sent, she quickly avoided them. This made Guthrie question if he was wrong about that teacher of her's.

' _Even so,_ ' he thought. ' _I can't let her train there again._ '

When the last of the Heartless was destroyed, the two pirates dismissed their Keyblades.

"Still think I shouldn't train in my dive?" Xion asked, seemingly satisfied with the result of her training.

Guthrie sighed and answered, "As a matter of fact, I do."

This confused and angered Xion. "Why? You saw how well I did against those Heartless."

"Like you said, they were easy to beat. It doesn't prove anything. Not only that, but they're magic-based Heartless. And even if you did improve so much, it's not worth dying for."

"So if it was you or our crew, you're saying you wouldn't die for them?" That question caught Guthrie off guard. "I train for this crew. I grow stronger for them, for my friends. If it means shedding blood for them, I'll gladly do so. I would do anything for my friends. Question is, would you?"

"That doesn't mean it's okay to die," Guthrie said.

The two Keyblade wielders were staring each other down, clearly not willing to get along with each other. All of a sudden, more Heartless appeared. Or at least, what seemed like Heartless.

These creatures were grey and quite thin. Each with a large, cylindrical head with a flat top and a strange cross-symbol on their head. A zipper took the place of their mouths, some unzipped to reveal gray sharp teeth.

"What the-?! What are these guys?!" Xion asked, getting back into battle position.

"One time Chirithy should've been here. I've never seen these monsters before!" Guthrie answered.

The duo did their best to fight against the new group of enemies, not willing to let one slip past them to their allies. However, due to the fact that they never seen this kind of Heartless before, both Keyblade wielders were having a bit of a difficult time against them. Easy as it was to defeat them in one strike, it wasn't as easy to take these new enemies down when they have an incredible teamwork with each other. It especially didn't help that these new creatures were extremely flexible, avoiding most of their attacks.

"Can't you call your Dream Eaters?!" Guthrie asked.

"I left them back on the ship!" Xion answered, regretting her decision of leaving her cards on Merry.

Guthrie gritted his teeth. He then had a thought; that one of them should stay behind and get the others, but with the amount of these monsters, it felt more like leaving a sacrifice. But after what he told Xion about how dying wasn't worth anything, he'd be a hypocrite to tell her to leave him and get the others and vice versa.

However, it seemed Xion had the same idea. "Guthrie, go get the others!" she told him.

"What?!" he gasped.

"I'll cover you! You get them out of here!"

"You have to be crazy if you think I'm leaving you behind!"

"This isn't a request; it's an order!" Those words surprised him even more. "As your vice captain, I order you to get the rest of the crew out of there or tell Luffy to send back-up!"

Guthrie, for once since he joined the crew, had no words to say against them. As a person, he would want to still stay and help Xion. But as a pirate, he should follow the orders of his captain and vice captain.

While he was distracted, he didn't notice one of the creatures coming in for a sneak attack from behind. Xion, however, saw the thing coming at him and pushed him out of the way of the strike, taking the hit on her shoulder. "Gah!"

"Xion!" Guthrie cried out in worry.

"Just go!" As Xion looked back at him and shouted that order, the male Keyblade wielder saw something shocking.

Before his mind can process the sight, more of those grey creatures were coming in with a group spinning charge attacks. Xion looked back and was prepared to either block or take all those hits... when a burst of flames suddenly came out from the woods, burning some of the creatures and forcing the rest to back away from the two surprised Keyblade wielders. The next thing they knew, a shadow shot out of the trees.

"What do you creeps think you're doing to my friend?!" Allen shouted. He thrusted his arm, somehow sending out more flames at the creatures.

Guthrie found his style of clothing quite familiar and immediately got defensive. "You're-!"

"Allen?!" Xion gasped in shock, making Guthrie confused.

"Not exactly how I imagine us meeting again, Xion," Allen said to the female Keyblade wielder, increasing the confusion. "I'll help you out!" He shot himself at a tree and kicked it, knocking a large piece of bark off, revealing a sword and what seemed like headphones made of seashells hidden in the tree trunk and hitting one of the new creatures in the face with it. As soon as he grabbed the two items, he regrouped with the two Straw Hat Pirates.

"All right now... Let's dance," he declared, putting the headphones around his neck. He pressed the apex on one side, playing some kind of song.

 _(Insert: Bonamana by Super Junior)_

A couple of the creatures charged in with their spinning charge attacks, in which Allen quickly knocked down and out with a strong swing of his sword. Few others charged at him, and this time he responded by avoiding to the right then to the left. And he wasn't just avoiding the moves; he was dancing to the music he was playing.

 _Neon alkkamalkka alkkamalkka neomu yeppeun miinah  
_ _Nal michyeotdago malhaedo nan niga jotda miinah  
_ _Nuga jeonhaejweo my baby, to my baby naega yeogi itdago marya  
_ _Gidarinda marya  
_ _(Baby you turn it up now!)_

He knocked away three more of the weird Heartless rhythmically. Just as a group of them was about to gang up on him, he thrusted his free hand forward, letting out another stream of flames and burning them to ashes. The Shandorian went back to dancing a few steps.

"Whoa! He's not bad," Guthrie stated, impressed with his fighting style.

Xion nodded her head in agreement, equally impressed.

 _Neon, gataboota, gataboota mal jom haera miinah  
Ni maeumeul gajyeotdamyeon geunyang naneun salmyi winner  
Ee sesangyi ichiran, ichiran, yongki itneun jareul ddara  
Na gateun nom marya_

Just as one of the creatures charged through the flames, Allen jabbed his sword in its head, destroying it. When the flames died down, he saw there were more coming and shifted his position, sending out more flames and preventing them from coming any closer.

 _Yet mare say, yeol beon jjigeumyeon neomeoganda_  
 _Eusseuk, eusseuk, eusseuk_  
 _Geunyeoneun gangjeok ggeuddeogeobtda_  
 _Pijook, pijook, pijook._  
 _Nan eodkleokakla eodkleokakla geunyeomani_  
 _Nae gwansimin geol, geol, geol_

As he continued to dance, avoiding the creatures and striking or burning them down, Xion felt her head throb a little and a scene was starting to play in her head. Not just any scene; a memory... one of Allen doing the dance he was doing now.

* * *

 _ ***FLASHBACK***_

Whether she was done with a mission or had a free day, Xion didn't know. But one thing was for sure, she was watching Allen dancing, and was quite mesmerized by it and the song. As he bowed with the song ending, Xion applauded.

"That was awesome, Allen!" she exclaimed.

"You think so? I feel like it still needs some work. I mean, I am planning on doing this dance as I fight," he said.

"Either you're too humble or you're way too serious about this whole... dancing thing. Plus, I've seen you do your dance fighting, and you're already good with the dances you perfected."

"Hmm... Coming from my only audience, it's hard to tell from one person alone. Besides that, I don't have anything to reflect how I move, so I can't really judge how well I do for myself."

Xion pouted at the first half of his statement. "Well sorry for being one person."

The next thing she knew, Allen placed a hand on her shoulder. "Hey. One person is still good. In fact, it's great since it's from you."

Hearing that comment, for some reason, made Xion's face heat up.

' _W-Why is my face heating up?_ ' she wondered. ' _And... do I hear pounding in my chest?_ '

"Is something wrong, Xion?" Allen asked in a concerned tone. "You look kind of red."

"I-It's nothing! It's nothing!" she quickly answered, distancing herself from him.

"I see. Well, if there's anything you need, you can just tell me. After all, we are friends."

Xion smiled and nodded at his offer. "Sure thing, Allen."

* * *

 _ ***END OF FLASHBACK***_

' _He... he was right,_ ' Xion thought, as the mysterious creatures' numbers were reducing at a fast pace. ' _I do know him!_ ' Her eyes widened as she saw one of the creatures move in to attack from behind. Allen was too focused on the enemies in front of him to take notice and she knew from how the dance goes that he wasn't going to be able to avoid a hit from behind.

"Allen, look out!" she shouted, tossing her Keyblade at the creature in a Strike Raid.

The Shandorian heard her shout and glanced to behind him, noticing that one of the creatures slipped over to his blind spot. Just when he was about to try to attempt to block a killing strike, Xion's Keyblade pierced through its target, destroying it and saving him.

"Thanks, Xion!" he called, getting back to his dance/fight.

As the Keyblade returned to its owner, Xion used her Cure magic to heal herself right up. "I have to help!" As she got up, Guthrie held her down. "What are you doing?!"

"Doing my job as your guardian!" he answered. "Chirithy will rip my head off if he finds out that I let you die. Followed by the rest of the crew."

"I could care less what happens to me; I'm not letting my friend die!" With a strong Aero spell, she forced Guthrie away from her. Xion took the chance to rush back in the fight. Though the numbers weren't as much as it was before, that didn't mean she wasn't worried about Allen.

The moment he saw Xion helping out with the rest of the creatures, Allen changed up the rhythm of his dance a little, doing some speedy dancing and avoiding more of their attacks. As they missed, the creatures were unaware of the female Keyblade wielder joining in and left themselves wide open for her own strikes, easily killing them and leaving only a handful remaining.

"End it with a bang, Xion!" Allen said, backflipping to her side.

The vice captain agreed with his declaration and pointed her Keyblade at the rest of the new creatures. " **Bladecharge.** " At that one word, she and her Keyblade started to glow, with the weapon getting bigger, twice its original size. " **Meteor Shower!** " Xion started to fire beams from her Keyblade at the creatures, all hitting their marks and destroying them all.

As soon as the last of the creatures were gone, Allen walked up to the girl. "Well, that was something new. Don't remember you doing that before."

Still wary of the Shandorian, Guthrie stepped in between the guy and Xion. "Hold up! As much as we appreciate you helping us out, who are you?"

"Me? My name's Allen. Nice to meet you," he introduced, holding out a hand. Guthrie didn't show any trust in the outsider.

"Guthrie. He's not like the other Shandorians," Xion told him. "He's that one Shandorian I told you guys about."

The male Keyblade wielder raised a brow in confusion. "This is him?"

"Yeah. But, what are you doing here?" Xion asked the Shandorian.

"Well... Let's just say my group is better off without me." Allen answered.

The female Keyblade wielder knew there was more to what he meant, but decided to not ask any more about it. "Hey. Our friends back at camp are having a bonfire. Want to join in?"

"Is that why I saw a huge light over there?" He pointed to the direction of the fire.

"Majority of our crew and some... guests wanted to party before tomorrow."

"What's tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow, we go to find gold."

Allen had a look on interest on his face. "Sounds like fun. Mind if I join?"

Guthrie didn't seem to like the idea and was about to speak against it, but Xion beat him to it. "Of course you can. I'm sure our captain, especially, would be okay with you joining us. Come on, I'll introduce you to them!" She led the tanned guy over to the rest of their crew.

Seeing how much the female trusts this stranger was confusing the counselor more and more. Last he checked, Xion didn't know a thing about the island or anything about the people who lives on it, and yet, she treated Allen as though she knew him her whole life. Unless...

' _Did she remember him?_ ' he wondered. His mind then went back to when Xion was ordering him to get to Luffy and the others. ' _Back then... Was I imagining it? No. I know what I saw. Her eyes... They changed to yellow, like a Heartless._ '


	16. EMERGENCY! NOT AN UPDATE!

ATTENTION! ATTENTION ALL FANFIC READERS AND WRITERS ALIKE!

THE FCC CHAIRMEN ARE TRYING TO CREATE A NEW LAW, so to say, THAT WILL GRANT THE INTERNET COMPANIES MORE POWER OVER THE INTERNET, RAISE MONEY FOR IT AND/OR SLOW IT DOWN! SAME GOES TO THE GAMES THAT REQUIRES INTERNET, or so I heard for that last part!

EITHER WAY THIS IS NOT GOOD FOR US! EVERYTHING WE DO IS PRACTICALLY BY THE INTERNET! CHATS, SHOPPING, GAMES, YOU NAME IT! IT WILL DEFINITELY BE BAD FOR US, ESPECIALLY IF IT MEANT NOT SPEAKING TO THE FRIENDS WE MADE BY THE NET! WE CAN'T LET THIS GO THROUGH! LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD AT **BATTLEFORTHENET . COM**! (remove the spaces)


End file.
